Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment Mew Mew
by Musashi the Master
Summary: The first ever SAO x Mew Mew Power X multiple anime crossover that is slightly AU. What if during the events of SAO: HF, Zoey, Elliot and your favorite anime characters join Kirito, Asuna and their friends in their quest to beat Sword Art Online and be freed from this nightmare? Rated M for violence, blood, strong language except for some characters, suggestive themes and nudity.
1. The Black Swordsman and the Cat

**A/N: Hello all, it's time for another Musashi installment. This time, I will be crossing over Mew Mew Power with the most popular light novel series and possibly anime series, Sword Art Online. This fanfic will be based on SAO's spinoff games, Sword Art Online: Infinity Moment and the updated version of the game, Hollow Fragment. Take note that this fanfic will be slightly AU due to some of the anime shows I will be putting in, Infinite Stratos and Full Metal Panic, so the characters from those anime shows will live in Zoey and Kirito's universe along with the other anime I listed on my blog, only the two anime's settlings like ISes and Armed Slaves don't exist in this AU fanfic. Okay, enough rambling from me. Let's start the fanfic right now.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sword Art Online, the honorable Reki Kawahara does, Mew Mew Power which is created by Reiko Yoshida or any other anime I put in this fic. Please support the disclaimer.**

**Prologue**

* * *

**(Zoey's POV)**

'**How long has it been since I was trapped in this game? Two years, maybe?**

**It all started when my best friends at Cafe Mew Mew suggested that I try out Sword Art Online, an upcoming highly anticipated MMORPG that was coming out on November 6, 2022. My friends stated they can't try out the game since they're too busy for school, jobs and fighting the Cyniclons, but hey, I will try out this game and tell them my experiences… at least I thought I would say to them until that incident happened.**

**When I was playing the game after it was released using my created avatar, I was immediately warped to the place where I started my gaming journey along with possibly tens of thousands of players. It was then, He showed up…**

**The creator of Sword Art Online, Akihito Kayaba has removed the log out feature from the game and announced his little death game… If we can beat the final boss at the 100****th**** floor, we can be freed from this nightmare. However, there was a catch…**

**If we die in the game or we remove our Nerve Gears, virtual reality helmets that transport our minds into the game, it will release a powerful electromagnetic pulse which will fry our brains, killing us. The nerve of that Akihito!**

**And to makes things even more complicated, our avatars were turned into our real world selves. And then, Akihito disappeared for now. And thus my journey begin which spanned two years.**

**I was Level 95 and reached the 75****th**** floor with a raid party. I have gotten good armor and a strong sword during my two year imprisonment inside this game. We were about to meet up with the Knights of the Blood, a guild that is gaining popularity and some say they may be the ones who will free us all. But then, something strange happen… A glitch happened. The glitch knocked me and my raid party out for about an hour… And then…**

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Black Swordsman and the Pink Cat: Reunions and Meetings**

* * *

A 15 year old girl with reddish pink hair who wore a pink chest plate that exposes a bit of her cleavage, white gauntlets with red rubies embedded in them, a white skirt made with the finest cloth of perhaps this game, silver high heeled boots with blue lines on them, a red scarf around her neck and a claymore with a red hilt and symbol of a cat on the blade sheathed on her back was groaning as she struggled to get up. After a few seconds of trying, she finally rose up from the ground.

Still dazed from who knows what, she looked around her surroundings. She sees some players on the ground, unconscious, but they are slowly waking up. They were in a purple cave like area. This is the 75th floor of Aincard, the world of Sword Art Online.

"What just happened?" The girl murmured to herself as she placed her hand on her head to ease the pain. This is none other than the junior high school girl and leader of the Mew Mews, Zoey Hanson. While trying to think about what happened so far, a spark occurs in her mind, jump starting her memory.

'Now I remember… We were about to join the Knights of the Blood on defeating the boss of the 75th floor. Just as we were about to join them… that glitch appeared…" Zoey placed her pinky on her chin and wondered where the glitch came from.

Suddenly, she noticed one of her raid companions struggling to get up. A 16 year old girl with white hair, wore a typical white Priest robe with a hood with some symbols on it, brown pants and shoes and wielding a white rod with a green jewel using the rod to help herself up.

Zoey gasped. "Sonya!" She rushed up to her raid companion. "You alright?!"

"Y-Yeah…" Sonya nodded as she and her raid companion watched their fellow raid members getting up finally and looked around. "What just happened?"

"A glitch happened… Though I don't know where it originated from." Zoey has a serious expression as she begin to ponder those things.

It was then, a boy ran up to Zoey's raid party.

He was a teenage boy, clad in clothes black as his hair. Black pants, a black belt with a large silver buckle, a black V-necked shirt that was worn underneath a black trench-coat with gray lines going down the sleeves and black boots with silver plates to protect his shins made him look like a medieval knight from the modern era. He wore a silver plate on the left side of his coat and a pair of black fingerless gloves. A strap went over and then under his right shoulder to wrap around his left side. He carried two swords on his back, one green and one black.

He noticed the raid party struggling to get up. "Hey! Everyone alright?" He asked in concern.

"Y-Yeah… We're alright…" Zoey nodded slowly before eying the black wearing boy. "Hey… Come to think of it, I seen you before…"

The boy closed his eyes and smiled nervously while a sweat drop formed behind his head. "Uh, yeah. I'm sure you heard of me during your trip here."

"You're Kirito, right? The Black Swordsman?" Zoey smiled as she crossed her arms and looked at Kirito with a look of admiration.

"No way!" Sonya's eyes widen like dinner plates. "The newest recruit for the Knights of the Blood? I heard you managed to never let a single party member die during raids before you joined that guild. Well, there are some that died while you were in parties…"

"That's my motto." Kirito nodded. "I won't let a single party member die. I let some die because of me, but I won't make the same mistake ever again."

"Hey Kirito?" Zoey began pressing this famous player for some answers. "Do you mind telling us what happened here?" Kirito nodded and began explaining.

'Kirito told me a lot: About how Heathcliff, the leader of the Knights of the Blood was really Akihito Kayaba, the evil and deranged creator of Sword Art Online, how Kirito deduced he was posing as a player, how he told Kirito and his friends that we can be freed from this virtual prison if we beat him, and how Kirito managed to defeat Heathcliff after the glitch occurred…' Zoey narrated.

"So Heathcliff was really the creator of this hell we have been through for the past two years?!" A male member of Zoey's raid party growled angrily, he was a spearman,

"Yeah…" Kirito nodded slowly.

"And you said you beat him, right Kirito? Then we should be able to log out now." Zoey grinned, finally a chance to go home! She checked her in game menu and frowned as she sees the logout option still grayed out. "Poo, just as I hope we can head back to reality…"

"Wait, didn't you defeat Kayaba? So why aren't we freed yet?!" Sonya was starting to panic, so were the rest of Zoey's raid party.

"I… guess we need to get to the 100th floor and beat the final boss in order to be free for real…" Kirito rubbed the back of his head in a nervous tone.

And then, a 17 year old girl with orange-brownish chestnut hair, hazel eyes and wore a red and white uniform walking up to the group.

"Kirito-kun, are we heading to the next floor?" The girl asked him, before noticing Zoey and her raid party. "Oh? Who are you?"

"I'm Zoey. And you are?" Zoey extended her hand for a handshake while smiling.

"I'm Asuna, Kirito-kun's wife. It's nice to meet you, Zoey." Asuna closed her eyes and smiled while shaking Zoey's hand.

"Eh?" Zoey has the white dotted eye look before turning to Kirito and asked him "She's your wife? I know this game has a marriage system and all, but I thought people at either the age of 25 or something can be wedded in either MMORPGs or in real life. You two are awfully young to be husband and wife."

Kirito chuckled nervously while closing his eyes. "Well, we're married in this game. Say, Zoey? Why don't you and your raid party come with us to the next floor?"

"Sure. What about you guys?" Zoey smiled at her raid party, they nodded in agreement in about 30 seconds. Then another teenage man ran up to Kirito, Asuna, Zoey and their friends.

He was about 24 years old, has red hair with a red bandanna and wore red robes and black armor resembling those of a samurai including a katana. His facial features include a thin chin strip, thin eyebrows, a sharp nose, and a pair of gentle eyes.

"Oi, Kirito. You ready to head out?" The red bandana man asked Kirito. He noticed Zoey and her raid party. "Oh, you must be one of the raid parties?"

"I'm their leader, Zoey. I was informed that Kirito managed to beat Kayaba, but we still cannot log out." Zoey extended her hand for a handshake.

"Name's Klein, leader of Fuurinkazan. Kirito and I happen to know each other before this whole hell started." Klein shook her hand.

"Right. Looks like we have to journey up to the 100th floor in order to get out of here…" Zoey sighed before shaking her head with a smile. "Shall we?"

'And so we entered the 76th floor, but after we emerged from the 75th floor, we noticed something wrong…' Zoey narrated.

Zoey, her raid party and internet friends, Kirito, Asuna, Klein and a massive 29 year old black, bald man with a brown goatee, wearing green armor and has two silver earrings on his left ear looking at the field with determination. His name is Agil and he is from Africa but moved to Japan with his wife before he got trapped in the online game.

It was then, Zoey checked out her items and blinked in surprise. "H-Hey! My items' names are gabled up!"

"Nani?!" Kirito and his friends, including Zoey's raid party friends looked at her with wide eyes before checking out their items. She was telling the truth. The items' names are all gibberish.

"H-Hey! That's not all!" Klein interjected, worry evident on his features. "My skills have been reseted!" Kirito and Zoey knew by the worried concern on themselves and their friends that their skills have also been reseted.

"Hmm… This is bad. Maybe that glitch caused it?" Agil theorized as he scratched his goatee in thought. It was strange indeed, Heathcl- no, Kayaba was defeated, but why are they still trapped in the game?

Asuna stepped up with the look of a leader leading her people through hard times. "The point is we need to keep moving forward and get to the 100th floor. Maybe we will find the answers there?"

"You're right, Asuna." Kirito smiled as he hold her hand and kissed it gently, causing Asuna to smile and blush. "We will get through this. We won't die and we won't let any party member or player die in this game."

"You're a good leader, Kirito. Maybe that's why everyone is talking about you." Zoey admired Kirito's leadership skills as well as Asuna's. "Since Kayaba is gone, maybe you like to form a guild with me? To be honest, I haven't started a guild yet."

"Our own guild…" Kirito mused as he pondered if he should form a guild with someone he barely met on the 75th floor.

"Hey, hey." Klein grinned mischievously as he got Kirito into a playful headlock. "We can talk about Kirito and Zoey's guild later, aye? Right now, we need to get to town."

"Right." Everyone nodded in agreement as they head towards the town of the 76th floor.

* * *

**(20 minutes later…)**

* * *

"Thanks for the help, Sonya." Zoey bowed her head lightly.

"Anytime. Call me if you need me. We're friends, remember?" Sonya closed her eyes, smiled and left to rest at Agil's inn.

Zoey turned to Kirito and Asuna with a cheery glance and asked "So, what's the story between you two love birds? There has to be a reason why you two are husband and wife in this game. It can't be a coincidence."

Before Kirito and Asuna can answer that, Asuna noticed something glowing in Kirito's item bag. "Kirito-kun? One of your items is glowing. Though, it's hard to tell which one it is due to the name corruption."

"Eh?" Kirito checked through his items and saw the one that is glowing. He picked it up, Zoey looked at the strange item and wondered what it is. The item then glowed brighter than before, surprising Zoey, Kirito and Asuna. The item turned into a glowing white ball that flew away from Kirito's palm, itches away from the three and landed on the ground, turning into a little girl.

The girl was perhaps 5 years old, has black shoulder length hair and wore a white dress with no shoes. She opened her eyes and looked around.

The girl yawned and said "Phew! I finally got out!"

Kirito and Asuna's eyes widen in shock as they recognized this girl. "Yu, Yui?!" They both shouted in surprise at the same time.

The girl now identified as Yui adverted her gaze on Kirito and Asuna with a happy expression and ran up to hug both of them. "Papa! Mama! It's been a long time!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Zoey interrupted as she waved her arms up and down frantically. "This kid who appeared out of nowhere is your daughter?! What the heck is going on around here?!"

"It's…" Kirito looked away rather shyly, Asuna did the same thing. "…kinda hard to explain." But Kirito and Asuna explained it to Zoey slowly.

'I just learned that Yui is Kirito and Asuna's in-game daughter who is also part of SAO's MHCP or Mental Health Consoling Programs, meaning she is an AI. Still, I can't believe Kirito and Asuna have an in-game daughter in this game. This game is really freaking me out…' Zoey narrated.

* * *

**(One hour has passed since Zoey met Yui)**

* * *

While Zoey, Kirito and Asuna were discussing the malfunction of the teleport gate, a 17 year girl with fluffy pink hair with a white hairpin to keep her bangs out of her eyes, wearing a dark red top with puffed sleeves and a flared skirt of the same color as well as a pure white apron over that and a red ribbon atop her chest walked up to the three, panting out of breath.

"That's great. The both of you are ok." The pinkette sighed in relief before smiling at them, well… Kirito and Asuna.

Asuna was surprised by this girl's appearance. "Lis?! Why are you here?!"

Lis frowned as she crossed her arms and muttered "Why am I here… Isn't there another way of saying it?"

Asuna has a sweat drop forming on her head. "Eh, Lis… Listen to me very calmly. …Actually, you cannot return to floors lower than Floor 75."

Lis has a question mark above her head when Asuna explained the situation to her.

A few seconds later, she got near the teleport gate and shouted "Teleport! Lindas!" She disappeared in a flash of light before reappearing in front of Kirito, Asuna and Zoey. She smiled in relief and told them "Phew, don't scare me like that. It's working alright…?" It was before Lis found out she is still in the settlement of the 76th floor. "Here is…?"

"…This is what happens. We can't return to the lower Floors." Asuna stated in a dull tone.

"My…My…" Lis has anime tears falling out of her eyes. "Lisbeth's Smith Shop is…"

"I know it's hard to accept you can't go back to the lower floors, but look on the bright side." Zoey piped up, trying to cheer up Lis. "At least there are rare ores on this floor and other floors higher than this one. And I still need to repay you for helping me gain my Caliburn (A/N: Yes, I am using the name seen in Sonic and the Black Knight) the other day." She gestures to her sword named the Caliburn on her back.

Lis sniffled and nodded slowly. "I-If you say so…"

* * *

**(The next day, in a field…)**

* * *

Zoey and Kirito were partying together and fighting monsters on Floor 76 outside of the settlement. It was then a blue dragon like creature flew up to Kirito, as a way of greeting him.

Kirito immediately recognized the cute furball dragon. "P-Pina?! Is that you?"

"Pina?" Zoey looked at him oddly before a 14 year old girl with brown hair in twin ponytails held together by two red ribbon like balls and wearing red armor ran up to the two.

"Kirito-kun! I'm so glad you're alright." The girl closed her eyes and smiled.

"H-Hey, Silica." Kirito smiled softly as he patted her on the head.

"You know her, Kirito?" Zoey asked him with a kind smile.

"Kirito-kun helped me revive my pet dragon once and defeated a mean former party member of mine and arrested her. So he's like a big brother to me." Silica explained how she met Kirito the first time during the two year imprisonment inside SAO.

"You're really popular with the ladies, Kirito…" Zoey has a bored smile look on her face.

"Shhh!" Kirito whispered harshly to her.

"Kirito-kun, is it true that we can't return to the lower floors and are still trapped inside this game?" Silica looked at him, worry advent on her features.

"Yeah…" Kirito nodded slowly. "But we'll get through this. We have to push through."

"Okay!" Silica closed her eyes and smiled again, Pina landed on her head and looked at Zoey with a curious glance.

* * *

'**I have no idea that Kirito is popular with the ladies in this game… It's like something out of a harem anime or novel where the guy is a honest and non-perverted gentleman who girls quickly fall in love with. Kirito is not my type anyway, if I did fall for him, Asuna would be mad at me for stealing her man.' **Zoey narrated. **'But then, the next day… Me, Kirito, Asuna, Yui, Lis and Silica were finally discussing the name of our guild. It took awhile, but Kirito finally wanted to start our own guild.'**

* * *

"How about Knights of the Round Table?" Kirito suggested, the gang were discussing the name of their guild in the square.

"Nah, it's been already taken." Lis shook her head no before giving out her suggestion. "How about the Lis Brigade?"

"Too lame." Asuna frowned before turning to Silica with a smile. "Do you have any suggestions, Silica?"

"Um…" Silica pressed her fingers nervously. "N-No. I have never joined a guild in my entire life."

"How about the Iriomote Mountain Lions?" Zoey suggested, all eyes turned to her.

"What makes you say that, Zoey?" Kirito asked her, eyebrows raised.

"Well, they're Red Data Animals in the real world, right? And they're endangered. So like in this game, we're endangered and our motto is 'Dying is not an option.' And we're fierce like lions. So I figure the Iriomote Mountain Lions are a great name for our guild. And this guild's goal is to beat the game. Me, Kirito and Asuna can be guild masters and Lis and Silica can be our guild members. What do you say?" Zoey smiled.

"An excellent name." A voice said. Confused, Zoey and her new friends and soon to be guild members turned around and saw someone that Zoey recognized.

"E-Elliot?!"

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Next Chapter: The Fairy and Gunner: The Girl Who Leap Through Time In The Real World**

**A/N: So, how is that? This is perhaps my first crossover with SAO and I'm planning another one only with Neptunia in place of Mew Mew Power for once in my life. Here are a list of crossovers to appear in this story.**

**Inuyasha (Takes place after the anime: meaning Naraku is defeated once and for all and the Shikon Jewel is destroyed so it will never be used for either good or evil and I'm referring to the second Inuyasha anime series.)**

**Asobi ni iku yo!**

**Seriously, Fall in Love with Me!**

**Love Hina**

**Azumanga Daioh**

**Full Metal Panic (AU)**

**Girls Bravo**

**Green Green**

**Fruits Basket**

**Nanoha**

**Super Sonico**

**Negima**

**Infinite Stratos (AU)**

**Heaven's Lost Property**

**Ladies vs Butlers!**

**Saki**

**And finally, Hagani.**

**Next chapter will have Leafa, Sinon and Kagome from Inuyasha, so stay tuned for an update.**


	2. The Fairy and Gunner

**Chapter 2: The Fairy and Gunner: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time in the Real World**

* * *

Zoey couldn't believe it… Her boss, Elliot is in the game!

Elliot is the same as he appeared in the real world, only he wore silver armor, blank pants, silver boots, sleeveless arm guards and a katana with a purple and white hilt sheathed in a black sheath. He has his arms on his hips as he looked at Zoey and her new friends and future guild members with a calm and collected smile.

"E-Elliot?! W-What are you doing here in this game?!" Zoey blinked, before she managed to figure it out. "Don't tell me… You got stuck in this game too, huh?"

"Mmhm." Elliot nodded as he walked up to Zoey and her new friends. "I'm glad you're still alive after that glitch occurred. Like the rest of you, my mind is trapped inside this game while me and Zoey's real world bodies are at the hospital, waiting to be awaken."

"Elliot!" Kirito smirked happily. "Hey, you made it to the 76th Floor too, huh?"

"You know this man, Kirito-kun?" Silica looked at her big brother figure with a curious nature.

"Yeah. He and I were one of the beta testers for this game. He and I became quick buds. Said he's the owner of a café called Café Mew Mew." Kirito locked arms with Elliot in a friendly way.

"He's…" Zoey looked away, rather nervously. "…my boss. I work for him due to, um… reasons I want to keep a secret."

"Sugoi!" Lis looked at Zoey with sparkles in her eyes. "I knew there was something special about you, Zoey! You worked at a café as a part time job! How cool is that?" Lis turned to Elliot with a drool. "Is Café Mew Mew hiring? Once I get out of here, I wanna apply for a job at this Café Mew Mew!"

Elliot chuckled for a bit before answering. "I'll think about it. But right now, Zoey, Kirito. Are you gonna create the Iriomote Mountain Lions Guild? I would also like to join as a member. We share a common goal and that goal is to be freed from this game."

"Are you sure?" Zoey looked at her boss with a concern expression.

"I'm positive." Elliot nodded with a charming smile that made Zoey, Silica, Lis and Yui blushed madly.

"I feel bad leaving the Knights of the Blood, but with our new guild and me, Kirito-kun and Zoey as its leaders, we're sure to be free in no time." Asuna smiled.

* * *

**(A few seconds later…)**

* * *

"And done!" Silica closed her eyes and smiled as she used the Guild Emblem Creator to create the Iriomote Mountain Lions' guild emblem. It looked like the one from the Lion King Play display seen in either stands in New York or the play theater, only it has a red bandana around its forehead and has a fierce look upon its face.

The newly formed guild looked at their guild emblem that Silica has worked so hard on making. At first, they has some concerns about it, but they quickly liked it. That emblem stands for bravery and hope during hard times.

"I have to admit, it looks good." Lis commented with arms folded while smiling.

"This emblem will be a symbol of our friendship during the past two years. Once we escape this hell, let's meet again in the real world. Right now, the Iriomote Mountain Lions' mission is to beat the game." Kirito held out his hand. His guild members placed each other's hands on his hand to show team work and friendship. They will escape SAO and won't let anyone die!

"Now that we are a newly form guild, I say we scout ahead for more guild members." Liz suggested on the guild's first sub quest.

"There has to be some people who haven't joined a guild yet that can join ours." Silica theorized, Pina kyued in agreement.

Kirito noticed a commotion going around in the shopping district. He motioned his friends and guild members to follow him.

When they arrived, they saw a raven haired 18 year old girl being harassed by some perverted players.

The girl wore what looked like medieval archer clothes that exposes her cleavage a little and has a silver bow with green rubies on it.

"Come on, babe! Party with us!" The first of the two perverted players grinned like a leecher.

"We need to work together to get out of this hell, so why not party with us until this game is beaten?" The second leecher player sulled.

The raven haired girl frowned and got out her bow and arrows and aimed them at the two perverts. "No! There's a chance you'll leave me out for dead! I have seen you two leave out a female player to die during the 25th Floor Raid!"

"You little!" The first perverted player growled as he and his partner got out their daggers and walked threateningly towards the girl. Luckily, Kirito and the gang intervened by stepping in front of the girl and pointed their weapons at the leechers.

"You're outnumbered by our guild…" Asuna warned with a frown.

"Leave now and never harass this girl again or we will be forced to kill you two…" Lis added as she got her mace ready.

The two perverted players recognized Kirito and gulped in fear as they ran with their tails between their legs.

Kirito turned to face the raven haired girl and asked her "Are you alright?"

The raven haired girl nodded hesitantly. "Y-Yeah." She then bowed lightly with a smile. "Thank you for helping me out of a jam. I believe we haven't been introduced. I'm Kagome Higurshi, but in SAO, I'm Kagome."

"My name is Kirito." Kirito returned the bow. "This is my wife, Asuna, our new friend Zoey, a friend of mine named Elliot and these are Lis and Silica with her pet beast Pina. We're a recently created guild called the Iriomote Mountain Lions."

"Kirito…? Are you by any chance the Black Swordsman everyone is talking about?" Kagome asked, her hand on her chin and head titled a little in curiosity.

"That would be him." Zoey answered for her.

Kagome was silent for a moment for about 40 seconds until she looked at the gang with pleading eyes. "Then allow me to swallow my pride and ask you a favor. I'm looking for a rare ore which is somewhere outside the 76th Floor Settlement. I need it to increase my bow's strength. It's called Shikon."

"Shikon, huh? I think I heard of it from the players on the 55th Floor." Elliot scratched his chin in thought.

"Really? Where?" Silica turned to Elliot with a questionable expression.

"I believe the rumors say the ore can be founded near a pond not far from here. It's in this floor, but there's supposed to be a really strong monster holding it. It's called the Leviathan Serpent."

"Sounds easy enough. Kagome, form a party with us and we'll get your ore before night time." Zoey beamed.

"Thanks, I really apperieacte it." Kagome bowed in gratitude.

* * *

**(Halfway towards the pond)**

* * *

The Iriomote Mountain Lions and Kagome were walking down the grassy plain towards their destination. It was then, Zoey turned to Kagome for a nice chat.

"Say, Kagome? What do you do before playing this game and unfortunately got trapped in for two years?"

"Um…" Kagome looked away a bit, rather shyly. Should she tell them or not?

What if they don't believe her odd tale?

"What if they laughed at her for making it up?

Either way, she can't keep it a secret forever…

"I lived at my family's shrine which is somewhere near Shibuya. But that's not all…"

The guild stopped to look at their new friend oddly.

"Meaning…?" Kirito asked, eyebrow arched.

Kagome looked to her left and right before turning to her friends with an embarrassed expression. "I… I can travel back and through time through the use of my family's well."

"Huh?" Silica has the white dotted eye look on her features. Kagome sighed and began into a long explanation that would last about an hour.

"So, you can travel back in time with the use of your family's well and met with a half dog demon named Inuyasha, a small fox demon named Shippo who is an orphan, a former cursed perverted monk who's hand is now cured of a curse named Miroku and a demon slayer named Sango with a demon cat named Kirara? And to top it all, you're the reincarnation of a ancient priestess?" Lis's eyes widen like dinner plates upon hearing Kagome's strange adventure tale.

"This Naraku guy… He was once a bandit named Origumo and let his body be devoured by hundreds of demons in order to have this Shikon Jewel to either cause more suffering or the classic world domination skit?" Elliot frowned as he sat down on a rock after hearing Kagome's exciting tale.

"Yes, but Inuyasha and me killed him and destroyed the Shikon Jewel that was controlling him." Kagome looked away, feeling desponded about her lover who is waiting for her to come back to the realm of reality.

"You really loved this Inuyasha person, do you?" Asuna asked with a soft smile, hand on her hip.

"Y-Yeah. He and I fell in love during our journey together, he can be rude sometimes, but he's really kind. I bet he's looking out for my unconscious body in the hospital in the real world." Kagome sighed as she closed her eyes, a single tear fell out of her left eye.

"I'm sure he'll be waiting for you once you beat this game…" Kirito smiled as he walked up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Say, Kagome? Wanna join our guild? We can use all the help we can get to get out of this hell?"

"Hmm…" Kagome placed her pinky on her chin and thought about it for about 12 seconds. She then gave her answer.

"Sure. Your guild's goal is to beat the game, right? I will happily join your guild."

"Welcome to our guild then, Kagome." Zoey closed her eyes and grinned.

* * *

**'We managed to reach the pond where the Shikon is held. It is where we fought the Leviathan Serpent, a level 101 monster' **Screens show The Iriomote Mountain Lions fighting the monster. **'It was tough, but thanks to Elliot and Kirito's tactics, we managed to beat the monster and obtain the Shikon. I find it strange that this ore is named after the Shikon Jewel. We head back to Agil's inn to regroup and discuss what to do next before heading to the 77th Floor.' **Zoey narrated.

* * *

"You sure you don't mind me staying at your inn, Mister Agil?" Kagome asked the father figure to players who is wearing his typical innkeeper and barkeep clothes while using a rag to clean a martineie glass with.

"It's no trouble at all. Make yourself at home, Miss Kagome." Agil smiled kindly as he placed the glass on the glass shelf. "Still, I'm glad Kirito, Asuna and their friends formed a new guild after that snake Kayaba was posing as Heathcliff." He sees the Mountain Lions (A/N: I will be calling them that since saying the full name of their guild will take too long.) eating lunch in his inn. They still need to eat though even in the virtual world, but luckily the food of this game will count as eating in the real world.

"Still… It's hard to believe that the leader of the Knights of the Blood is that monster who trapped us inside this game to begin with. But why aren't we freed yet?" Kagome slumped on the bar stand with a desponded look.

"Who knows? But we gotta make it to the 100th floor in order to get out of here." Lis told her as she ate her burger.

Agil then thought of something. He cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "I heard some rumors lately…"

"What kind of rumors?" Zoey leaned back a little.

"There have been sightings of someone resembling a fairy in the forest near Arc Sophia." Agil gave his tidbits of info.

"Sounds like this needs investigating." Liz stood up from her seat with a courageous smile. "Alright, let's go over to the forest and-" Asuna raised her hand to stop her.

"No, no, no! You lot are too damn tired from that last adventure." Asuna placed her hands on her hips sternly. "Me, Kirito, Zoey and Elliot will investigate this fairy. You need to recover your strength."

Liz looked away, rather shamefully. "Y-You have a point there, Asuna."

'And so, we set out to find this fairy character. It was then, we encountered something unexpected…' Zoey narrated.

Kirito, Zoey, Asuna and Kirito were checking the forest to find this fairy character until Asuna spotted someone on the distance. "Over there!"

She has bright green eyes and wears white and green clothes. She also has a white and green collar on her neck. She has long blond hair, often tied up with a flower like hairband. Her hair bangs, however, are not tied up with her hair. She also has pointy ears.

She has her back turned for a while until she turned and saw Kirito and the gang. She somehow immediately recognized Kirito and rushed up to him, grabbing a hold of his hand with such excitement. Asuna and Zoey were shocked by this, and Elliot remained calm.

"Big Brother, it's really you!" The girl exclaimed happily.

"B-Big brother?" Kirito was confused by this, so was Asuna and Zoey.

"We're finally able to meet, big brother!" She then hugged Kirito.

'After a few seconds of awkwardness, we learned that this fairy character is from another VRMMORPG called Alfhiem Online and she is really Kirito's little sister named Sugaha Kirigaya. She said she was transported to SAO through a system hiccup upon logging in.'

"That's right!" Leafa nodded with a upbeat smile. "It's me, Sugaha Kirigaya, do you believe me now? But now I'm Leafa, it's the name of my avatar." She pointed to herself.

"So from now on, you're a player inside this game?" Elliot titled her head a little, amazed by this sudden outcome.

"Uh-huh." Leafa nodded. "Nice to meet you all and thank you for looking out for my big brother."

'After we headed back to town and recruited Leafa into our guild, one day has passed and another strange event happened…'

Kirito and the gang watched in shock as the sky opened up and out fell a 15 year old girl with black hair, wearing green armor with a red scarf. Kirito rushed up to the falling girl and in the nick of time, managed to catch her with such amazing speed.

'We just learned that the girl's name is Sinon and she… has amnesia. We offer her a invitation to our guild, it took a while, but she accepted the invitation. And then…'

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Next chapter: The Orange Player: Welcome to the Hollow Area**


	3. The Orange Player

**Chapter 3: The Orange Player: Welcome to the Hollow Area**

**(December 2024, Hollow Area)**

* * *

In a forested area in a unknown location…a blue coated girl was running down the forested path as if she was being chased by someone or something… The girl is revealed to have short dandelion hair underneath that blue hood. She turned around while running to see if the thing is still chasing her.

Then suddenly, without warning, Kirito and Zoey teleported in, completely confused by their surroundings, then the blue coated girl bumped into Zoey just as she turned around. Zoey yelped as she was tumbled into the ground with a small force.

"Zoey, are you okay?" Kirito asked in concern. The dandelion haired girl was also knocked to the ground, tumbling for a bit.

The girl got up quickly and unsheathed a dagger that is jagged on one side and straight on the other, she charged at Zoey who got up and turned white upon seeing the attacking girl.

Luckily, Kirito got out his Elucidator and blocked the girl's attack, it was then Kirito and Zoey noticed the orang shards when Kirito was clashing blades with this mysterious girl.

'Is she an orange player?' Kirito gritted his teeth as he uses Elucidator to clash with the girl's dagger, orange shards appeared for a while before disappearing.

The girl grunted for a while before she demanded "Who are you?"

"I should be the one asking that!" Kirito gritted his teeth as the two struggled to push back the other.

Zoey was speechless for a while, not finding the courage to speak or stand up. She looked up a bit before noticing something large falling down, it made a huge dust cloud forcing all three of them to shield their eyes, when it cleared, they saw a large scorpion like skeleton glaring dangerously at the three as it is its next meal.

"It's Skull Reaper?!" Kirito's eyes widen in shock as the Skull Reaper let out a terrifying shriek.

"What's a Floor 75 boss like that doing here?!" Zoey stammered as she got up and quickly hid behind Kirito.

The girl tched. "I think somehow it's scattered. ….I just have to do it."

"Hey you!" Kirito called out to the girl. "Are there any kind of monsters like that here?!"

"…I don't intend to speak to rascals like you guys." The girl told him and Zoey with a tone as cold as ice.

"You guys?" Zoey blinked with a confused expression. "I think it's a misunderstanding!" The Skill Reaper roared as it lashed its pincers at the dandelion haired girl.

"Look out!" Kirito gasped as he pushed the girl out of the way before dodging the Skull Reaper's pincers.

The girl was surprised by Kirito's act of chivalry that she stuttered "Why did you…"

Kirito however knew something was wrong about this boss monster. 'So the reason why I dodged its attack is because its parameters were lower than the Floor 75 version… But I don't think me and Zoey can run away from it…' Kirito theorized as he glared at the Skull Reaper.

Zoey managed to muster up her courage and stood up, unsheathing her Caliburn and held it in her right hand. "Hey you!" She shouted to the mysterious girl. "You can fight, right?"

The dandelion haired girl frowned and retorted "…What is it?"

"Let's form a truce for the mean time until we defeat that thing." Kirito proposed his idea.

The dandelion haired girl frowned deeper and told him with a stern and cold tone "Why do I have to cooperate with you two…?"

"Zoey! You and the girl will attack the side while I deal with the sickle!" Kirito got out his twin swords and charged at the Skull Reaper, the Skull Reaper lashed its sickle like tail at him, but Kirito dodged it with a dash and leaped up, he did some horizontal slashes and managed to cut off the sickle.

The dandelion haired girl was confused by Kirito's determination to protect her and Zoey. "Why are you covering up for me?" The girl questioned. "I might slash you in the back."

Zoey turned to the girl with a serious expression. "I know you wouldn't do that. You want to survive, right?" The girl was conflicted on what to do when Zoey said that.

"So we have to defeat this thing and me and Kirito don't want to die." Zoey extended her hand to offer a friendly handshake during serious situations.

The dandelion haired girl was silent for a moment until she sighed and told her "…Very well. I will cooperate for now."

Kirito landed beside the two girls and nodded to them. "Alright, let's do this!"

"Flent!" Zoey shouted as she did a horizontal slash on the Skull Reaper's third leg, the Skull Reaper growled softly as it lashed its sharp sickle like claws at her, forcing her to dodge them with a backflip.

"Armor Pierce!" The girl shouted as she did a jab thrust with her dagger, impaling one of the Skull Reaper's claws. The Skull Reaper glowed with dark energy as it spins around in a tornado like spin, hitting Kirito and his party for medium damage.

"Even with weak parameters, this guy is still strong!" Zoey grimaced as she leaped up and brought her blade down on the Skull Reaper's side, damaging it for medium damage.

"Duel Shout!" The girl shouted as she used her dagger to land two hits on the Skull Reaper.

"Depth Impact!" Kirito shouted out as he glowed with orange energy as he used his twin swords to slash the Skull Reaper 14 times, impressive feat for a Level 100 player who lost all his skills when the Glitch occurred.

"Shield Coating!" The girl first held her dagger in front of her face, then she waved it to the right, a soothing aura was around her, Kirito and Zoey.

"Thank you." Zoey nodded in gratitude, the girl said nothing as she dashed behind the Skull Reaper.

"Tri-Pierce!" The girl jabbed the Skull Reaper's back side three times before it uses its tail to knock her back a little.

"Horizonal!" Zoey shouted as she slashed her sword to the left, damaging the Skull Reaper for medium damage.

The Skull Reaper growled as it curled up and like a ball, rolled towards the three. Zoey gawked before Kirito grabbed her hand and they and the girl have to dodged the Skull Reaper's rolling attack.

The Skull Reaper leaped up and lunged downward with its claws in an attempt to kill Kirito and his party, but like the rolling attack, they managed to get out of harm's way. The Skull Reaper's claws were stuck to the ground as it struggled to get them out.

"Now's our chance!" Kirito shouted as he charged at the Skull Reaper and rapidly slashed it 15 times, amazing reaction time.

Zoey roared like an angry bull as she charged at the Skull Reaper, slashing it 6 times. The dandelion haired girl said nothing as she jumped on the Skull Reaper's head and jabbed the top of the head with her dagger three times.

The Skull Reaper managed to get its claws out of the ground and the three heroes managed to dodged its counter attacks (claw lashing).

Flent!" Zoey shouted as she dashed through the Skull Reaper with her sword drawn, inflicting some damage on it.

"Armor Pierce!" The dandelion girl shouted as she jabbed her dagger through one of the Skull Reaper's pincers.

The Skull Reaper was getting weaker as it slumped towards Kirito, Zoey and the girl. Kirito looked at the beast with a look of determination and shouted "Depth Impact!" He again slashed the beast 14 times, the Skull Reaper roared in agony as it disappeared in a burst of data, meaning it has been defeated. This is the way monsters and boss monsters die in SAO.

Zoey panted heavily as she sat down and let out a sigh of relief. ""Somehow… We have beaten that thing…"

The dandelion haired girl looked at where the Skull Reaper was once were and muttered "Skull Reaper… It's my first time seeing this kind of monster."

"It's similar to the boss of Floor 75…" Kirito theorized. The dandelion haired girl turned to Kirito and Zoey with a concerned face.

"Why is a Floor boss here…?"

"Who knows, but its status has decreased a lot…" Kirito pointed out. "If the status is the same, it can't be defeated with just three people…"

Zoey was silent for a moment as she looked at the mystery girl's eyes, she can see a eager to battle look in them. "And I don't want to fight if possible."

"So we still have to fight with you?" Kirito asked out of sympathy as he crossed his arms. The mystery girl was silent as she looked away a bit.

"I'm sorry if I did something wrong. Please forgive me…" Zoey bowed lightly as a way of apologizing.

The girl returned her gaze on Kirito and Zoey for a moment until she asked them "…Are you really not one of them?"

"Them who?" Kirito raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

The mystery girl let out a sigh of relief and told them with a stoic tone "…Looks like it's true. But you two have seen it right? My cursor."

"It's orange, right?" Zoey guessed as she looked at the mystery girl out of pity.

"Don't you think of anything after seeing it?" The mystery girl added with a desponded tone. "Why are you two talking so normally?"

"Umm…" Kirito rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I don't think about it too much."

"Same here. Even if there are orange players, they're still innocent victims trapped in this game." Zoey added with a raised fist of determination before looking at the mystery girl with a cheerful smile. "Do you mind answering if we ask?"

The mystery girl sighed in irritation before softening up and began speaking. "…Fine… I… killed someone…" Kirito and Zoey were silent for a moment after hearing this.

"That's how it is…. So it is best if you two don't get involved with me." She bowed lightly and said with a cold as ice tone "So good bye… And thanks for the help earlier." She was about to walk away until Kirito grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Slow down here, cowgirl!" Zoey interjected.

The mystery girl frowned deeper and muttered with a sour tone "…What is it? Didn't I say it's best you two to not get involve with me?"

"We know that," Kirito nodded with a frown. "But we have one more question…"

Zoey looked around her surroundings. "Um… Where are we? I know we're still in SAO, but this place doesn't look familiar to us."

"I don't know…" The mystery girl replied as she looked away with a dark and depressed expression. "I got sent here 1 month ago. …I can barely survive, so I couldn't find out much about this place."

"So this is an anti-crystal area?!" Zoey gawked as she forms the usual white dotted eye anime look seen in anime upon hearing that the mystery girl was sent here 1 month ago. Kirito decided to test a theory by opening his menu and seeing that the teleport crystals he has are not greyed out or something.

"I can still use my teleport crystals." Kirito blinked in astonishment.

"…I don't know about this floor, but items and messages still work in this area." The mystery girl replied with eyes closed and a frown to boot.

"If you want, we can lend you some of our teleport crystals." Zoey offered in a way of meeting new friends.

"…It's okay." The mystery girl replied flatly.

"You are…" Kirito began with eyes widen. Suddenly, a voice began speaking throughout the entire area.

"Access restriction of the Hollow Area is cancelled…"

"W-What was that?!" Zoey shivered as she chatter her teeth and shake like a rattlesnake. Suddenly, two strange golden marks appeared in both Kirito and Zoey's' left hands.

The mystery girl's eyes widen in surprise and she stuttered "You… You two's…" The two guild leaders of the Mountain Lions looked at their mysterious friend with raised eyebrows. "The patterns that appeared on your hands."

Kirito and Zoey looked at their left hands and saw the strange patterns on them. "I don't remember having this!" Zoey whined as she looked at her hand oddly.

"Is it related to the access restriction announcement just now?" Kirito asked the mystery girl.

The mystery girl looked at them oddly and muttered "Who are you two…?"

"Never mind that! Just… what is this place?" Zoey looked around her surroundings again and wondered how she and Kirito ended up here.

"I don't really know…" The mystery girl muttered as she shook her head. "But…" She turned to Kirito and Zoey and asked "Can you two please show me your hands?"

Kirito and Zoey nodded, not replying but understand what she mean and held out their left hands. The mystery girl inspected the patterns on their hands and muttered "…Just as I thought. It's the same…"

"The same as what?" Zoey puffed her cheeks, getting kind of frustrated by this.

"I know a place with the same pattern." The girl declared.

"Then let's go check it out. We might find some clues as we have no idea what's going on here." Kirito figured.

"Do you mind taking us there?" Zoey asked politely.

"…I don't mind." The girl nodded. "But… how can you two trust orange, I mean red players so easily?"

"It's true that we're concerned about the orange cursor." Kirito began.

"But you did help us out with the Skull Reaper, right?" Zoey smiled with a naive and cheerful glance.

The girl looked away rather bashfully. "Y-Yeah, that is true…"

"We fought together in SAO with our lives on the line. I can trust on that a lot." Kirito gave the girl a reassuring smirk. "My name is Kirito."

"And I'm Zoey. What is your name?" Zoey asked politely with arms behind her back, smiling.

"…Philia." The girl now known as Philia introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you, Philia." Kirito closed his eyes and smiled. Philia chuckled a little.

"You two are quite soft hearted, maybe stupid too."

"Um…" Kirito smiled nervously as he sweat drops. "I'm quite good in judging a person."

"So I should be honored about that?" Philia sighed. "I'll be your guide, let's go."

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Next chapter: Returning to Aincrad: The Hollow Test**

**A/n: After the next chapter which is Chapter 4, Chapter 5 will have the Girls Bravo gang and who will be part of Kirito's Harem which he unintentionally acquires after one of the Girls Bravo gals are impressed by his skills?:**

**Kirie**

**Tomoka**

**Koyomi**

**Risa (Should I make her forget about Yukinari and have her fall for Kirito instead? Don't flame me please because I'm still going for a Kirito x Asuna pairing.**

**or Kosame?**

**I'll let you decide. See you next chapter.**


	4. Returning to Aincard

**Chapter 4: Returning to Aincrad: The Hollow Test**

* * *

Kirito and his party were gazing at a huge black sphere like structure over the horizon. Zoey blinked in amazement and turned to Philia. "So that's where we're supposed to go to, right?"

Philia nodded slowly. "We take this slope down to the lower ridge. Stay close."

"You don't have to tell us twice." Kirito nodded as the party took the slope down to the ledge.

The party stood in front of a cave, Zoey shivered at the thought of such a dark place, but there are times where you need to be brave to get out of a virtual prison that kept you for two years.

"Go through the forest in front of the cave to find the place with the same marking as the emblems" Philia explained. Kirito and Zoey nodded as the three of them entered through the cave and into a maze like area.

It was then Kirito turned to Philia for some questions.

"Philia, what is it about this field? There's even no display for this Floor…" Kirito checked his menu and it confirmed his supsciouens about this strange place.

Philia turned to Kirito and told him "I think this place is called the Hollow Area."

"Hollow Area?" Zoey snapped her gaze towards Philia with a confused expression and question mark above her head.

Philia's tone turned into a calm and serious demeanor. "Do you remember how you two got here?"

"Well, our guild were investigating a dungeon on Floor 76 and while me and Kirito took the lead, we were covered by a bright light and here we are, whatever this Hollow Area is…" Zoey placed her pinky on her chin as she recalled the events that got her and Kirito transported here.

"I think it's similar to the corridor of the Hallway Crystal." Kirito theorized.

"So you two got teleported suddenly…" Philia was taking it all in while keeping her cool. "It's the same like me, the only difference is that…." Philia stopped in mid-sentence, not wanting to say anymore for 2 seconds before adding "The patterns on your hands."

Zoey then noticed that Philia doesn't have an pattern like she and Kirito has. "Come to think of it, you don't have it as well."

Philia nodded slowly before beginning to speak. "Actually, I have never seen any players with those patterns around here."

"Huh?" Kirito blinked. "So there are players other than you, Philia?" Philia nodded again.

"But… There's something strange…" Philia added after her nod.

"What do you mean?" Zoey asked, arms crossed.

Philia turned to her allies and said "It's difficult to explain. It's best if you two see for yourselves firsthand."

"We got it. Let's do it." Kirito nodded in agreement.

"So, where are we heading to?" Zoey wondered as she looked around, feeling a bit lost on this place.

"You can see that over there, right?" Philia pointed to the sphere like strtucure with broken pieces floating around in mid-air.

Kirito and Zoey looked at it in wonder, it was a sight to behold. "You mean that sphere, right?" Zoey gasped in awe.

"Have you ever been there before, Philia?" Kirito added.

Philia shook her head no. "But I think you two can enter it. It has the same patterns you two have."

"Do you think the patterns appeared after we defeated the Skull Reaper?" Zoey wondered as she looked at her hand where the pattern is.

"But it didn't appeared for me. So can it be related to the skills you two have?" Philia glared at them without any hostility in her eyes.

"I never heard of any skills that can do this." Kirito shook his head no.

Suddenly, the announcement voice began speaking again.

"The prescribed time has passed. The attitude test will now begin…"

"W-What's going on?" Philia stuttered as she looked around for any monsters or threats.

"Prescribed time? Attitude test? This place is really freaking me out here…" Zoey shivered before nearly tripping, but regain her balance.

"Calm down, Zoey. We'll figure it out." Kirito reassured her before remembering what the announcement said. "It said… attitude test."

"I have… heard it too." Philia's eyes widen in surprise.

"I don't know what's going on, but this sounds interesting." Kirito smirked, eager for a challenge. "If we break through here, we'll pass the test, right?"

"You are…" Philia blinked at Kirito's positive attitude. "…are pretty positive at a time like this."

"You think we can avoid the test in a situation like this?" Kirito's smirk widen. "It makes me feel excited in a place like this."

"Kirito… You're scaring me…" Zoey has the anime white dotted eye look when she saw Kirito's confident smirk.

"I'm starting to get worried…" Philia sighed and rolled her eyes in agitation.

"You two say something?" Kirito asked them with a confused tone of voice.

"N-Nothing!" Zoey shook her head no.

"Nothing…" Philia repeated what Zoey said only with a cold expression.

"By the way, I have no information about this place at all." Kirito remembered something important about his and Zoey's situation.

"S-Same here. Hey, do you mind if you shared your map data on this place?" Zoey closed her eyes and smiled nervously with a sweat drop bead on the back of her forehead. Philia face palmed and sweat dropped with a growl before nodding.

And so the three heroes began their trek through the maze like area, they have to deal with giant hornets, orcs and man eating mushrooms that got in their way. It was then, they encounter a minotaur like gladiator wielding a huge axe glaring at them with a dark intent.

"Is that the boss for this test thingy we're having?" Zoey wondered as she unsheathed her Caliburn and got into a fencing position.

"Yes. No doubt about it." Philia nodded as she got out her dagger and readies herself for combat.

"Right then, let's go!" Kirito shouted as he unsheathed his swords and charged at the Muscle Bull, the Muscle Bull roared as he slams his axe down towards Kirito, but the Black Swordsman blocked it with his swords and was locked in a power struggle, but after 20 seconds, Kirito managed to push back the minotaur's axe and got up to its chest and used his twin swords to slash the minotaur five times.

"Now it's my turn! Slant!" Zoey's Caliburn glowed with pink energy as she leaped up into the air and slams it horizontally on the minotaur, giving it some heavy damage.

The minotaur growled as it grips its axe and spins like a tornado, hitting Kirito and his party for medium damage.

"Damn, he's strong!" Kirito gritted his teeth as he charged at the minotaur and shouted "End Revolver!" He slashed the minotaur 2 times with his duel swords, and dodged a swipe from the minotaur's axe.

"Cross Edge!" Philia shouted as she used her dagger to slash the beast 2 times, it did littler damage, but at least it gave some damage to the beast.

The minotaur slams its axe down and created an energy shockwave, forcing the party to dodge it.

"Vorpal Strike!" Zoey leaped from her position and slashed the minotaur 2 times with her sword, giving the minotaur some large amounts of damage. The minotaur retaliated by swiping her two times, giving her some medium damage.

"Hang on, Zoey! Loctus Hexedra!" Kirito with all his might, slashed the minotaur 7 times with his duel swords and did a back flip when the monster attempted to swipe him with its axe.

"Slow Weak!" Philia chanted with her dagger close to her face and opened her eyes and pointed at the beast, it was moving slowly. "Now's our chance!"

"I'll finish this! Horizontal!"

"End Revolver!" Kirito and Zoey combined their attacks to delete the minotaur's HP to zero, the minotaur roared in agony as it turn into data and burst into shards, killing it.

The party were panting heavily as Zoey fell on her butt with a exhausted but relieved sigh. "Man, he was tough, even for a level 95 player like me…"

"Looks like we filled our quota let's head to the exit. " Kirito wiped some virtual sweat from his forehead. With that said, our heroes headed towards the exit.

When they got to the end, they heard the voice again.

"Clear has been confirmed. The approval phase will now end."

That left the party confused. Zoey was the first to speak. "Approval… phase…?"

"The announcement again." Philia rubbed the back of her head in a deducting position as a way to try to figure something out. Kirito was silent. Philia then turned to both Kirito and Zoey. "Hey, what is it?"

"Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about something." Kirito reassured both her and Zoey.

"Like what?" Zoey asked, placing her hand on her chin.

"It's about the Hollow Area. There are many terms I am concerned about, such as the test or approval phase."

"Huh." Philia crossed her arms and looked at Kirito with a expression that she hopes that he might know something. "So have you figured out anything?"

Kirito lowered his head and scratched his chin. "I have some assumptions, but they are lacking some evidence, so let's gather more information…"

"Okay." Zoey and Philia nodded in agreement, the latter of which is unsatisfied. Kirito noticed Philia's unsatisfied look.

"What's with that unsatisfied look, Philia?"

Philia looked away, a little desponded. "I have been investigating for so long and I still don't know anything. You two have only been here for a few hours and if Kirito was able to solve that problem so fast, then it's unsettling for me…"

"But Kirito hasn't solved it yet…" Zoey reminded Philia of that.

Philia closed her eyes and sighed, muttering "Ohhh… this is so disgraceful for the treasure hunter's name."

"Treasure hunter?" Kirito asked, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, it's just self-proclaimed." Philia nodded. "There's no job system in SAO. Comparing to fighting monsters and clearing quests, I think going into dungeons and search for treasure chests suit me better." Philia then opened her eyes and looked up, still sadden for some reason. "Most of the treasures are… important for survival. So that's why I became a treasure hunter."

"I see…" Kirito nodded slowly. "But, isn't it dangerous? It's tough to fight solo…"

"Have you increased your search skills and trap countermeasures?" Zoey added, wanting to know if Philia has such skills at her disposal.

"Well yeah…" Philia looked away, rather shamefully. "I do plan to increase my skills to protect myself."

'It's true Philia's fighting power is quite strong…' Kirito thought to himself as he pondered this.

"Well, I know we are changing the order, but the teleport device I mentioned is up ahead. If we can get out of here…" Philia stopped in mid-sentence as she began to worry what would happen if they can't get out of here.

As the party entered a cliff like area with ground at the bottom, Philia gestured to a blue monolith like strutcue with the same marking as Zoey and Kirito's marks.

"That's the teleport device you mentioned?" Zoey wondered as she and her friends walked up to it.

"Hai." Philia nodded. "Just point your marks at it and hope for the best." Kirito and Zoey did as they were told and held their hands with the marks on them out and blue lights appeared around the party and they disappeared.

The party reappeared in a strange dark space like room with a control panel and computer screens showing Aincard and a map of some unknown area.

"Are… we inside the sphere?" Zoey stuttered as she looked around. 'Amazing…' She thought in awe as it is a high tech room compared to the medieval world of Aincard.

"Bingo! We're inside the sphere!" Philia snapped her fingers with a smile.

'We did some exploring and we learned that this place is called the Control Area… What is the Hollow Area and what connections does it have with SAO?' Zoey narrated.

Kirito and Zoey were looking at a plate down on the floor. "So this is a teleport gate? It looks different from the others…" Zoey muttered as she inspected it.

"No doubt about it…" Kirito agreed as he kneed down and placed his hand on it to inspect it. "We can get out of here with this. Philia, wanna come with us?" Kirito turned to Philia with a smile.

Philia however, was conflicted by this.

"You don't look happy… What's wrong?" Zoey asked her with concern.

Philia smiled meekly and said "…Looks that way?"

"Are you not coming with us, Philia?" Kirito asked solemnly.

"I can't go back with you two. So you should go back…" Philia looked away despondently. "So, it's good bye from here. I have a lot of fun with you two…"

"We understand." Kirito nodded.

It was then, Zoey piped up with excitement. "Hey, I have an idea! Let's meet up here again in the Hollow Area so we can explore its secrets together! We promised we will return to help you, Philia."

"Yes. We need to solve the mysteries of the Hollow Area. So we'll be back." Kirito raised his arm up with a smile.

Philia couldn't help but smile a little. "…Give me a message if you come here. I'll be waiting…" Philia walked up to the control panel and began searching its databanks. Kirito and Zoey used the plate to head back to Aincard.

* * *

**(Back in Aincard, a few minutes later after reuniting with members of the Iriomote Mountain Lions…)**

* * *

"I see… so the Hollow Area is a placed that is hidden from SAO which is now unlocked due to the glitch." Elliot nodded as Yui finished her explanation before turning to Zoey with a stern look. "Still, you gave us such a worry, young lady."

"Hehehehe…." Zoey grinned nervously and sweat dropped. "Sorry, me and Kirito didn't mean to worry all of you."

"So, in this Hollow Area, we might find rare and powerful weapons?" Silica gasped in awe, Pina latched on her shoulders.

"Not to mention rare ores, oh I can barely contain my excitement!" Liz's eyes sparkle with delight.

"Not to mention there are powerful monsters in that area. I wonder if we can gain large amounts of EXP from them…" Leafa placed her pinky on her chin and pondered about this, the thrill of exploring a new area made her excited, but at the same time, nervous.

"Hmm…" Asuna closed her eyes in introspection before opening her eyes with a smile. "Well, we can explore this Hollow Area tomorrow… I of course am interested in this Philia character, luckily Kirito is not the type to flirt with women while he's married…" Asuna smirked at Kirito who nodded with a nervous smile.

"Hmm…" Sinon closed her eyes and said "We might level up faster if we go to this Hollow Area first thing in the morning. So I agree on this plan."

"Don't forget, the Floors are our top priority, but solving the mysteries of the Hollow Area will provide some benefits to the Assault Team and Mountain Lions." Zoey smiled.

"Alright." Kirito smiled as he stood up from his seat. "Tomorrow we rest, then we explore the Hollow Area during break times."

"Here here!" Kagome closed her eyes and smile as she raised her glass up in appreciation.

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Next chapter: Sword Bravo: Overcoming your Fears and Sorrow**

**A/N: It's been awhile, I had to take a few days vacationing from fanfic writing to refuel my mojo and waiting for the update patch for Hollow Fragment this September, but now I have returned. Alright, I know some people might disagree with me, but I will make some anime girls fall for Kirito, but I will still use the Kirito x Asuna pairing, please don't flame me! (Hides behind flame shield) Ahem, anyway, the Girls Bravo gang will appear in the next chapter and Fukuyama will make Kirito his rival in this chapter, so stay tuned.**


	5. Overcoming your Fears

**A/N: I forgot some important things in the last two beginning chapters, I realized that SAO doesn't have bows and arrows, but Sinon used one from a shop, so Kagome will wield a katana in place of her bow and arrows.**

**Chapter 5: Sword Bravo: Overcoming your Fears and Sorrow: The Mysterious Player**

* * *

The virtual sun shined through Zoey's room through her window, Zoey, in her night clothes slowly opened her eyes and stood up from the bed and yawned. She looked at the window with a smile and thought 'Another day in SAO. It's been a day since our guild, the Iriomote Mountain Lions have been formed…' Zoey got off her bed and went to the bathroom to get ready for the new day in this virtual world. 'It was pretty hectic when I learned that Elliot is also trapped in this game and Yui is Kirito and Asuna's in-game daughter. Not only that, me and Kirito were transported to the Hollow Area…'

After changing into her armor, she double checked her equipment, and heard a knock on the door. Curious, she walked up to her door and opened it to see Silica smiling at her with Pina resting on her head.

"Morning, Zoey-chan. Asuna is making breakfast and your boss is helping her." Silica told her.

"That's great news, Silica. I was surprised at first to learn that Elliot can cook delicious food like Asuna." Zoey closed her eyes and smiled, she opened them again and stared at Silica. "Say… How long have you known Kirito?"

"Well…" Silica pressed her fingers nervously, a shade of red appeared on her cheeks. "It all started when Rosetta, the leader of the Titan's Hand guild and I have a dispute and I left her party because of the way she treats players. I was attacked by Drunken Apes and they were too strong for me. Just as they were about to finish me off…" Silica pointed to Pina on her head. "Pina sacrificed her life to save me and that is where Kirito saved me from dying in the game and in real life."

"I see… Go on." Zoey urged.

"I only had three days to save Pina and Kirito told me about the Pneuma Flower in the Hills of Memories on the 47th floor and while we traveled there, I was attacked by a flower monster and it was about to eat me, but I gain my courage due to Kirito's encouragement. When we got what we came for, Rosetta and her guild attacked us. Rosetta tried to presusde Kirito into joining her guild, but he refused and managed to capture them into the Corridor Zone. Since then, I owe my life to Kirito."

"You have been through a lot to save your Tamed Monster. I guess Kirito is really is a father figure to players, though Agil is the one who is like a father to us players." Zoey smiled as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Um…"

"What?"

"Kirito said I reminded him of Leafa, his sister. So he's like a big brother figure to me." Silica smiled and blushed slightly.

"Ooooh, I getcha." Zoey closed her eyes and smiled. "Well, let's head to breakfast then. We got to explore the Hollow Area and we'll focus on advancing to the next floor."

* * *

'After a delicious breakfast, we decided to chat with Agil about our first adventure in the Hollow Fragment.' Zoey narrated.

"Oh, finished with breakfast, everyone?" Agil asked with a kind smile as he cleans a wine glass with his rag.

"Uh-huh. We're about to head to get some training in this floor." Kirito nodded as he adjusted his swords. They have been corrupted, but he doesn't mind that since he can still use them.

"It seems you and Zoey got into trouble again, Kirito. Don't overdo yourselves." Agil scolded them sternly.

"We're sorry for worrying everyone about that…" Zoey bowed her head lightly in apology.

"But the information about the Hollow Area is interesting…" Klein smiled as he placed his arms behind his head and leaned back on his chair. "Usually, it's mostly treasures that lies in the hidden areas."

"If that's the case, clearing Aincard would be much simpler." Kirito sighed as he placed his hand on his chin in thought.

"A lot of people have moved on, correct?" Elliot reminded everyone. "So we can't fall behind. We have to avenge the players that Kayaba killed thanks to his death game. Though, Kayaba may be defeated, but we're still trapped inside this game."

"I want to go on as soon as possible… But that's it for today." Kirito sighed and yawned, indicating he was still tired even after waking up.

"That's so sloppy." Klein shake his head in disapproval. "But the activation is finished, right?"

"Yes. Kirito and I did it earlier." Zoey nodded.

"Then maybe people will move on ahead!" Klein raised both his hands like a typical excited anime expression with a grin.

"But when we first arrived there, one of the Floor Bosses were there, but there may be stronger versions of Floor Bosses the Assault Team has defeated in the Hollow Area…" Zoey sighed as she used her elbow for her head to rest on.

"Plus, they appeared out of nowhere, the Skull Reaper for example was still strong, but its stats were decreased, making it easier for three people to defeat it." Kirito advised his friend with a serious and stern tone.

"Hey, you got to be shitting me…" Klein gritted his teeth nervously (A/N: You know, the anime expression when a character is embarrassed or worried). "Well, I'll take a quick peek for today."

"Plus, from what Kirito told us, there is no map data in the Hollow Area." Asuna folded her arms and recalled what Kirito and Zoey told her and the other guild members about the Hollow Area.

"So, it's best if we fight through carefully." Elliot nodded in agreement with crossed arms.

"In that case, I'll get going." Klein waved good bye to his buddies as he exited the Inn.

"Be careful." Agil advised as Klein exited the Inn. He turned to Asuna. "How are you, Asuna?"

"I'm fine, really." Asuna reassured the veteran player. "I was fraught with worry over Kirito and Zoey's disappearance and their little adventure in the Hollow Area yesterday, but everything is okay."

"I see… Kirito, would it be okay if you be with Asuna for a little longer. You made her worried sick yesterday." Agil looked down despondently.

"Yeah…" Kirito looked down despondently as well, but his mood brightens up and turned to Asuna. "So let's spend time together in our newly formed guild."

"Hai." Asuna nodded with closed eyes and a smile. Just then, Klein came in, looking miffed.

"Oi, Kirito, Zoey!"

"What is it?" Zoey blinked, confused on why Klein is looking upset.

"There's no such thing as the Hollow Area for teleporting!" Klein gritted his teeth, with closed eyes and an anger vein on his forehead.

"That can't be…" Kirito gasped, blinking. "Me and Zoey were in it yesterday."

"Plus, me and Kirito double checked it and activated the warp point to the Hollow Area…" Zoey placed her pinky on her chin.

"If you have doubts about it, then come with me!" Klein grabbed Kirito's arm and dragged him towards the Teleport Gate.

"Should we follow them?" Silica asked her friends and guild members.

"Yes. It's best if we see for ourselves to find out why Klein can't find the Hollow Area." Elliot agreed. So the Mountain Lions followed Kirito and Klein to the Teleport Gate.

The gang were at the Teleport Gate. Klein was double checking what Kirito and Zoey told him.

"Hollow Area Control Area… No mistake, right?!" Klein asked them sternly.

"O-Of course. You are correct…" Zoey took a step back, Klein is scaring her a little.

Klein navigated through his menu and shouted "Teleport! Hollow Area Control Area!" The Teleport Gate flashed for about 5 seconds and Klein was still here.

"…" The Mountain Lions and Klein were silent for awhile seeing Klein didn't go to the Hollow Area.

"…This is weird…" Liz muttered, closing her eyes in introspection.

"I told you." Klein sighed despondently. "I don't think you and Zoey were joking around, Kirito…"

"Well, how about we try it, us meaning the entire guild?" Sinon suggested with a calm and cold as ice demeanor.

"Okay. Stand back, Klein." Kirito advised as he and Zoey walked up to the Teleport Monolith and both of them shouted "Teleport! Hollow Area Control Area!" In a instant, The Mountain Lions disappeared.

"N-Nani?!" Klein has the typical anime dotted eye look as he stood there, flabbergasted by the Mountain Lions' entry into the Hollow Area.

* * *

**(In the Hollow Area Control Area)**

* * *

"So this is the Hollow Area…" Liz gasped in awe as she walked up to the control panel and it showed her a map of the Hollow Area as well as a display of Aincard. "This is different from Aincard…"

Zoey noticed that Phillia is missing. "I don't see Phillia anywhere." She told her friends.

"Maybe she went exploring?" Kirito guessed.

Silica looked around timidly. "This place is scary…" Pina was shivering as she latched on to Silica's head, indicating that she too is scared of this place.

"I wonder what kind of area the Hollow Area is…" Leafa murmured in awe as she stared in wonder at the beautiful space like scenery.

"Let's go back to Klein and tell him that only we can enter the Hollow Area." Elliot suggested.

Everyone nodded in agreement and used the warp stone to return to Aincard.

* * *

They were relaying the info to Klein.

"…This sucks…" Klein muttered in disappointment, but his mood did a 360 and said cheerfully "Well, take me along next time, as a party member. I'm gonna go train in this Floor with my guild." Waving good bye to his friends, Klein went outside the city to join his guild and childhood friends for a good dose of training.

"So, only we can enter the Hollow Area…" Sinon muttered, not amused by this one bit.

Kirito and Zoey checked their palms and saw the marks from the Hollow Area on them.

"Maybe it has something to do with the marks we got when we first entered the Hollow Area…" Zoey theorized.

Just then, Pina then spotted something over in the distance and flew off. "P-Pina! Where are you going?!" Silica panicked as the Mountain Lions followed the pet beast of Silica towards the market.

They see Pina eating food with a busty 18 year old girl with pink shoulder length hair, pink eyes, wearing yellow armor which has red runic symbols on it, exposing her chest a bit, white skirt, silver boots and on her forehead are three strange symbols that seem alien… She also has a spear on her back. The girl is sharing her food with Pina with a smile.

"You like bananas, do you?" The girl said cheerfully as she gave Pina a piece of banana. Pina kyued happily as she ate the fruit.

"Hehe, it seems Pina has taking a liking to your banana, Miss…" Silica stopped in mid-sentence, not knowing this girl's name.

"My name is Miharu. This game is fun and there are cute monsters here." Miharu said cheerfully, she may be a bit of an air-head.

"Y-You're kidding, right?" Liz tilted her head in surprise. "Don't you know if you die in this game, you'll die in real life too?"

"R-Really?" Miharu placed her hand on her chin with a confused but cute expression.

"Miharu, there you are." A 18 year old boy with short blue hair, has a sword strapped to his back and wearing white armor walking up to the gang and Miharu. "Don't run off like that. This place is huge."

"Oh, sorry, Yukinari-san. I was sharing my food with these people here and their pet dragon." Miharu smiled as she gestured to the Mountain Lions.

"Your name is Yukinari, right? Is Miharu a friend of yours?" Kagome asked with a kind smile and crossed arms.

"Yes. And who might you be…?" Yukinari then eyed Kirito's clothes. "A-Are you the Black Swordsman, Kirito. The one who defeated Akihito Kayaba?!"

"I guess news of my triumph over Healthcliff, no, Kayaba spread quicker than I expected…" Kirito closed his eyes, smiled nervously and sweat dropped.

"But oni-chan, you're a celebrity for killing the murderer and creator of this game." Leafa vouched.

"But we're still trapped inside this game." Elliot reminded the out of place player.

"Um… Is it alright if I ask for a request?"" Yukinari looked away shyly.

"Go on?" Kirito asked, eyebrows raised.

"Can you teach me and my friends how to improve our chance of survival in this hellish game? We made it to the 76th Floor, but I don't know if we can make it to the 100th."

"What level are you? You must be pretty strong if you were able to make it to Floor 76." Asuna placed her hand on her hip.

"Level 85 for me, and level 80 for Miharu. Level 81 for Kirie, level 79 for Tomoka, and level 74 for Koyomi." Yukinari checked his menu and saw his guild's name, the Baseballers on the guild menu as well as a list of names who joined the guild.

"I say, you must have gotten it rough getting to this Floor." Silica gasped in awe as Pina looked at Yukinari with a curious glance.

"Well, we have been training for two years to get out of this game. Our families are worried sick about us back in the real world." Yukinari explained.

"I can understand that." Liz nodded as she walked over to Yukinari, intending to hug him in a motherly manner, Yukinari however, recoiled and hid behind Miharu. Liz blinked at Yukinari's actions and asked "What's wrong? I was gonna give you a hug."

"I-It's just…" Yukinari stammered before looking away timidly. "…I'm allergic to girls."

"You're allergic to girls?" Silica blinked in surprise. "How come?"

"I was bullied by girls in my childhood, hence why every time a girl touches me, I get hives." Yukinari sighed despondently.

"How sad…" Asuna feeling sorry for Yukinari, whispered.

"That's awful, bullies should be jailed in real life for causing trauma and suicides!" Silica puffed her cheeks in anger. Kirito turned to her with a stern look.

"But bullies are human beings, the only way for the bullied to stop a bully is to confront their fears and get the bully to never do that again or have him or her jailed. Isn't that right, Yukinari?" Kirito smiled at Yukinari.

Yukinari was surprised by this sudden act of kindness. "O-Of course!"

"And your allergy to girls can be overcome. It takes time." Kirito added.

Then, a 20 year old girl with brown chestnut hair, wearing a similar outfit that Asuna wears, but with a brown color, a huge broadsword on her back, a 14 year old girl with blond short hair, a red beret with a star in the middle on her head, wearing red clothes with a dagger sheathed on her hip, and a 19 year old girl with dark blue hair tied in a ponytail, wearing silver armor with a white skirt and on her back is a huge red axe walked up to the gang.

"Oi, Yukinari. You ready to train?" The brown chestnut haired girl asked. She noticed the Mountain Lions and asked again "Who are they?" The Mountain Lions introduced themselves.

"Wait… Kirito, as in the Black Swordsman, Kirito?" Kirie blinked. "I heard some rumors about you… How you managed to defeat the bastard who trapped us in this game. To me, you're a celebrity." Kirie admired.

"Hey careful, Kirito is already married." Liz warned the chestnut haired girl.

"Huh?" To whom?" Kirie looked at Liz with a confused expression.

Asuna giggled and pointed to herself. 'Me."

"Aren't you the sub-leader of the Knights of the Red Blood Oath?" Yukinari was clearly confused on this.

"Used to, now I'm the sub-leader of the Iriomote Mountain Lions. Kirito is our leader and Zoey is the founder and sub-leader." Asuna told him.

"Well, you're no match for the Baseballers, we're gonna clear this game before you!" Tomoka pointed her finger at Asuna in a challenging way.

"Excuse me?" Asuna has an anger vein on her forehead as she glared at Tomoka. "And what is a child like yourself doing in this game? Didn't you follow the age restriction rules? And more importantly, why did you play this deathgame?"

"Tomoka is not a child!" Tomoka gritted her teeth in fury as she unsheathed her dagger and pointed it at Asuna. "Don't make me kill you!"

"Is that a duel?" Asuna challenged as she unsheathed her rapier, a crowd was overlooking the tension between Asuna and Tomoka and they backed away nervously.

"P-Please don't fight. I don't want to see any more people dying in this game…" Koyomi stammered.

"Yeah. Please don't fight, Asuna and… Tomoka, right?" Kirito intervened, Asuna and Tomoka turned away from each other and huffed.

"So what place of Tokyo are you guys from?" Zoey asked cheerfully.

"Actually, we're from-" Before Miharu can cheerfully tell them she, Koyomi and Tomoka are from an another planet, Yui cam running towards Kirito and Asuna and hid behind them.

"Mama, Papa! Protect me from this weirdo!" Yui shivered.

"Weirdo?" Kirito and Asuna asked at the same time, confused. They see a 21 year old man with short blond hair, wearing red armor with a green emerald, and a sword sheathed on his hip running towards Yui pervertedly.

"Come back, my loli-cutie!" He squealed pervertedly as Kirito halted him by raising his hand to stop him. "Eh? Back off kid. Me and the lovely loli have a playdate." He growled at Kirito.

"Careful, Kirito." Elliot advised him. "I can tell this guy is a sicko pervert."

"Wait a minute… I know you…" Asuna glared at the blond pervert player. "You're Kazayma Fukuyama, CEO of Fukuyama Corp and skirt chaser! Never thought a perverted bastard like yourself would playing this game."

"Augh! Fukuyama!" Kirie growled as she rubbed her temples. "I can't believe of all people you would be trapped here with us! When the fuck will you leave us alone?!"

"Ah, Kirie-chan, Miharu-chan, Koyomi-chan!" Fukuyama squealed with a dirty tone, making Koyomi recoil in fear. "So you're trapped here with me and my sister, eh? We're gonna have a wild time having sex with my loli-cutie!"

Yui griped Kirito's pants tight. "Papa, this man scares me…" Just then, a 17 year old girl with long blond hair and wearing a black female tunic with a red vest, white pants with pink high heels and has a yellow cape on her back rushing up to the group.

"Oi! Onni-chan, did you have to chase that poor innocent girl?" She panted with disgust before looking up to see Yukinari. "Yukinari-san! It's you!" She tackled hugged the poor boy, giving him hives in the virtual world.

"Not Risa too…" Kirie face palmed.

Kirito narrowed his eyes fiercely at Fukuyama and told him warningly "I advise you leave Yui alone and my female friends. I already know you're the perverted creepy Billionaire, Kazuya Fukuyama…"

"Who the hell do you think you are, punk?" Fukuyama growled, before he recognized Kirito. "Wait… You're the Beater, Kirito."

"Beater?" Yukinari and his guild asked in confusion.

"What of it?" Kirito gritted his teeth with fury.

"Why is Kirito called a Beater?" Sinon asked stoically.

Fukuyama smirked and turned his head, eyes closed, saying "You're the one who defeated Akihito Kayaba and has the highest reaction time in this game. And you have the lovely sub-leader of the Knights of the Blood Oath falling for you." Asuna clenched her fist with an anger vein. "But to me, you're just a fraud and weak like Chibinari. I should have been the one who took down Kayaba and have the lovely Asuna as my girlfriend."

Leafa frowned deeper and pointed her finger at Fukuyama, shouting "Kazuto will beat you hands down!"

"L-Leafa?!" Liz gawked as she gave Leafa a worried glance.

"This idiot is insulting my big brother and Kirito ought to teach him a lesson!" Leafa huffed.

Fukuyama laughed pervetedly and asked amused "Is that a challenge then? Let's make a bet, shall we? If you win which I highly doubt you will, I won't bother those sexy females for ten days. But if I win which I will, the beautiful Asuna has to be my bride."

"Challenge accepted." Kirito frowned as he unsheathed his twin swords and got into a battle position. Fukuyama snickered as he unsheathed his sword and both combatants selected the duel option.

"Kirito… Please win." Asuna whispered. As soon as the countdown reached zero, Fukuyama charged at Kirito, intending to give him the first strike, but Kirito leaped up from behind and slashed him the back, Fukuyama's HP was 75 percent after the first hit.

'It's a good thing people can't die here in this safe zone whenever they duel…' Zoey thought to herself with relief.

"Kirito's reaction time was high when Fukuyama made the first strike and Kirito gave him the first hit. Plus, Fukuyama's level was 85!" Yukinari gasped in shock.

"No way!" Tomoka turned to Yukinari with disbelief written over her face. "How strong is the Black Swordsman anyway?!"

Liz giggled playfully. "Well, Kirito is a pro at duels and monster fighting. So if Creepyyama's level is 85, Kirito will end this duel shortly.

"Damn you, you upstart brat!" Fukuyama growled as he slashed vertically at Kirito, but the Black Swordsman blocked his sword with one of his sword and used the other hand to slashed Fukuyama across the chest, dropping his HP to 53 percent.

'This… This can't be! I am the best player in this game without any cheat codes! How did this fucking brat be the one who took down Kayaba?!' Fukuyama gritted his teeth in fury as Kirito let out a battle cry as he clashed swords with Fukuyama for about a good 5 minutes, Kirito managed to lower Fukuyama's HP to a good 25 percent, Fukuyama's HP bar was in the red zone. Fukuyama made a last ditch effort to leap up and strike Kirito on the back. There's no way he would lose to this punk!

Kirito however, smirked as soon as Fukuyama landed behind him and tried to strike him in the back, but Kirito quickly turned around and slashed Fukuyama two times, reducing his HP to 5 percent. The duel was over when the onscreen words **Duel Over: Winner: Kirito** appeared in the air and disappeared, Fukuyama's HP was instantly restored after he lost the duel.

A group of players surrounded Kirito with awe and excitement.

"Nice one, Kirito!"

"You sure showed the Pervert of Mizuno High!"

"As expected from the one who took down the maniacal Akihito Kayaba!" Kirito smiled slightly, the players praising him was making him nervous and he began to walk away with his friends and guild members smiling at his victory over one of women's worst nightmares.

Fukuyama growled as Risa tended to his injuries. With fury, he shouted out "You cheated!" Kirito's guild glared at him with frowns, including Yukinari and his guild.

"Kirito won fair and square." Kagome told him sourly as she placed one hand on her hip. "Not his fault you're a sore loser."

"You're a woman's worst nightmare, Fukuyama and Kirito seems like the perfect gentleman." Kirie told the pervert she despised so much sternly, making Asuna, Silica and Liz blushing madly.

"T-This stupid game!" Fukuyama retorted in a cowardly method.

"It's not the game's fault you lost, it's your arrogance and ego that resulted in your defeat." Sinon retorted with a frown as she crossed her arms and glared at this perverted man.

* * *

**(With Kirito)**

* * *

Kirito was walking down an alleyway until he tensed. '…Huh? There's a weird presence from somewhere.' Kirito turned his head to see if there is anyone following him. 'Feels like someone is watching… Is someone spying on me?' Kirito walked down another alleyway. 'It's chasing…'

Kirito could heard some footsteps going fader and fader. '…It's gone.' Kirito thought to himself as he crossed his arms and began to think. 'What is it really…? I don't need to be afraid of being attacked as long as I'm in town. But I don't feel right of being monitored… In that case, I should do something.' Kirito looked around and saw a shadowy figure near the café. '…Gotcha.' Kirito rushed towards the café.

He looked around and after a minute of silence, he shouted "Hey! I know you're out there! I don't know what you're after, but I'll listen to what you have to say if you want something." There was silence for a moment. 'Will the person… come out?'

Suddenly, a cheerful voice said "Oh, so you noticed." Out of the corner of the alleyway stepped out a woman.

She has lavender hair which goes down to the base of her neck with two long strands on either side of her head which go down to the top of her breasts. She has two moles on her left breast inside her cleavage. Her eyes are red-violet, nearly pink.

She wears a lilac-color, strapless dress with a black piece of fabric going across the breasts and down to her stomach, below an intricate coat. This coat is made up of violet and plum shaded components, reaching as far down as the hem of her dress but also leaving some areas open which expose the dress below. Above that she wears a collar of the same violet of her coat, outlined in lavender with a red jewel securing the collar in place. It appears that the components that go over her detached black sleeves are connected to this collar. These components that go over the black sleeves appear to cover them completely except for at the wrist and hand where it joins to her finger. She wears plum stockings, which have, much like the rest of her outfit, whorls etched on. They go up under the dress and are connected by something triangular.

With eyes closed and a smile, she said "Hello."

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Next chapter: Hanging with Strea and Exploring the Floor and Hollow Area**

**A/N: It's been so long since I worked on this fanfic. Playing Hollow Fragment again after the patch was released got me motived to write again. Sorry for the long wait, so I hope this chapter is better than the others. See you next time.**


	6. Hanging with Strea

**Chapter 6: Hanging with Strea: A Mysterious Friend Leads to a Confused Dilemma**

* * *

Kirito glared at this mysterious woman and said "We have never met before…"

The girl opened her eyes with a smile and replied with "Of course! It's our first time. I'm Strea, nice to meet you." The woman now identified as Strea bowed lightly.

"Strea…" Kirito said her name with curiosity. 'A player who has a Hiding Skill that can even surpass my Scout Skill… Even if she has such a ability, she didn't mention about seeing it in person. I even never heard of her…. Who is she?'

Strea noticed Kirito's serious face and asked innocently "What's wrong with that scary face?"

"Strea…" Kirito asked with a serious tone. "What is your purpose of going after me?"

"Hum…" Strea showed a innocent smile and replied with "I'm a bit interested, so I just did some observation. Kirito is quite famous. It's obvious I'm getting interested!"

Kirito was silent for a minute with a small smile until he said "You're quite skillful yourself."

"Oh, you know? I'm quite strong too." Strea blushed slightly before she continued. "Even so… Hum, just as I thought."

"Just as what?" Kirito asked skeptically.

Strea got closer to Kirito with a smile and commented with "Kirito is cuter with a closer look!"

Kirito recoiled for a bit, muttering "Cu-Cute?" Strea nodded with a gentle smile as she hugged Kirito into her chest.

Zoey was looking for Kirito until she spotted Kirito and the mysterious Strea. 'Who is that with Kirito?' She thought to herself as she walked up to them and saw Strea's way of introduction to Kirito. "W-What the?!" Zoey gawked.

"This doesn't seem right!" Kirito muffled from the cleavage he was being pressed against by this mysterious care-free girl.

"But it's cute! Makes me feel like doing it!" Strea squealed as she hugged Kirito tighter.

"What are you doing?!" Zoey shouted, a bit miffed as she pry Kirito away from this girl.

Strea noticed Zoey and said cheerfully "Oh, one of Kirito's friends! Let's have a cup of tea! Kirito said he will listen to my request."

"Kirito, who is this girl who was suffocating you with her chest?" Zoey asked, glaring at Strea who looked at her with innocent eyes. Then again, she remember meeting Kikki for the first time like that in the real world. So maybe this girl is similar to her best friend.

Kirito was gasping for air before turning to Zoey and told her confusedly "I have no idea…"

* * *

Strea looked at the café and with an energetic smile, she gestured the two leaders of the Mountain Lions to sit down with her.

Kirito whispered into Zoey's ear "Her name is Strea and if we ask her questions, we'll learn about her intentions and what guild she came from."

"Okay." Zoey nodded in agreement as they sat down with Strea.

Strea looked at the café after drinking her tea and turned to Kirito and Zoey "Hey, Kirito, Zoey-chan. Is this café au lait good? Here, I'll give you my milk tea, and you'll let me have some of yours." She offered her cup of milk tea.

"Um… Ok…" Kirito smiled meekly.

"S-Sure…" Zoey chuckled slightly as she and Kirito offered Strea their coffee and milk and Strea asked the waitress for another milk tea. Strea slip her coffee with a perverted expression whenever people tried new food or drinks. It's not a lust for girl or boy perverted expression, it's just for trying or having your favorite food and drink.

"It tastes better than I thought!" Strea ahhed. "Generally, coffee taste bitter, right? I don't like bitterness. Now for Zoey-chan's milk." Strea took a slip and nearly drank half of Zoey's milk, she put down the glass and has a milk moustache, she let out a big burp and said with approval "Milk is good for your health and gives you strong bones, right? Personally, I like chocolate milk better."

"If that's the case, you can have our drinks." Zoey closed her eyes and smiled slightly.

Strea gasped with awe. "Really? Thank you!" Strea bowed lightly as she drank her coffee and finished the milk offered by Zoey.

Zoey leaned over and whispered into Kirito's ear "This is getting us nowhere. She isn't telling us any important info."

Kirito nodded in response and said "I guess she's avoiding the questions we asked her…" Kirito cleared his throat. "Let me get straight to the point…"

"Eh?" Strea titled her head like a curious cat.

"You said you are interested in me." Kirito simply said. "How much do you know about me?" Strea placed her pinky on her chin and began to think.

"How much I know? That's right…" Strea smiled as she began relaying her info. "I have been keeping an eye on Kirito for quite some time."

"For how long? Are you a stalker or something?" Zoey placed her hand on her hip and gave Strea a suspicious glare.

"Since when the boss of Floor 75 was defeated. And I would never stalk players." Strea told her with a cute smile.

'Was she referring to the Skull Reaper or Kayaba?' Kirito thought to himself as he began pondering those things. 'Plus, I believe she wasn't there when we took down the Skull Reaper and Kayaba.' Kirito thought to himself as he began pondering those things. Then he remembered Strea's hidden skill. 'But… if she were able to have a hiding skill that high, then nobody would be able to detect her. But even so, what's the purpose of doing that?' Kirito sighed. '…Can't even come up with an answer even if I think about it.'

"Strea… Who are you?" Zoey asked the mysterious girl finally.

Strea smiled playfully and asked "Huh? So you want to learn more about me?"

"Y-Yeah, that's right…" Kirito nodded slowly.

"Kirito and Zoey-chan are pretty straight forward." Strea said with a cheerful tone.

"Hey, don't get the wrong idea." Zoey frowned.

"Well, the questions end here! If you want to know more about me, then Kirito must go on a date with me!" Strea pointed her finger at Kirito and smirked proudly.

"W-What?!" Kirito's left eye twitched when Strea said that.

"Thanks for today, Kirito and Zoey-chan! I'll see you soon, I promise!" Strea got up and with a cheerful wave, she ran off.

"…Who is that woman?" Zoey stuttered in disbelief.

"Somehow, I think she is different from the normal players. Let's call it a day and think about it tomorrow." Kirito sighed as he rubbed his temples.

"O-Okay." Zoey nodded as the two of them headed straight back to Agil's Inn.

It was nightfall as soon as Kirito and Zoey entered the Inn, they see Strea waving cheerfully at them. "Hello! Kirito! Zoey-chan! Over here!"

"W-What?! What is Strea doing here?!" Zoey gawked as her eyes turned white dotted. "And more importantly, how did she get here so fast?"

"Strea, what's going on?" Kirito questioned as he gave Strea a look of skepticism.

"Nothing." Strea replied innocently as she placed her hands behind her back and looked around nervously. "I just want to see Kirito and Zoey-chan. Can't I do that?"

"Well, we can't say it's wrong…" Zoey closed her eyes and grinned nervously, a sweat drop appeared on her head.

"Hurry up! Over here!" Strea urged cheerfully as she grabbed both Kirito and Zoey's arms and dragged them to her table.

* * *

The Mountain Lions saw Strea pulling Kirito and Zoey to her table and all the girls wonder who this mysterious girl is.

"…Who's that?" Liz asked, pointing to Strea.

"What can I say…?" Asuna looked down despondently.

"So Asuna doesn't know either?" Silica turned to Asuna with widen eyes.

"Yeah…" Asuna nodded slowly and continued on. "Zoey said she appeared out of nowhere following Kirito."

"She's not an NPC… Did she came from the lower Floors?" Liz theorized.

"Even so, they seem to know each other pretty well…" Silica twiddled her thumbs in anxiety.

Leafa gawked as she and the others saw Strea sitting on Kirito's lap. "She's sitting on Kirito's lap?!" She blunted out with the white dotted eyes.

"Hey wait a minute!" Liz stuttered. "What is this all about?!"

"Now, now girls." Elliot, being the peace keeper of the Mountain Lions he is, intervened. "I'm sure there's a good logical explanation for this."

Asuna has an evil snicker and commented with "Looks like Kirito and that girl really like each other…" A red aura appeared around her, indicating she is pissed.

"A-Asuna! Please calm down! That is an evil snicker, I can't tell!" Liz waved her arms up and down frantically.

"I'm going over there!" Silica declared, fists clenched. "I can't stand this any longer!" Klein walked over to the female members of the Mountain Lions.

"Hey, what is this about…? You can all sit on my lap." Klein chuckled, only to get a slap from Sinon. "Kidding…" Klein sighed as he rubbed his slap mark.

Liz frowned deeper and said to her friends "Then we have to force Kirito to explain on what is this all about."

The girls marched over to Kirito, Zoey and Strea's table. Zoey noticed the upset expressions the guild members are having. "Uh oh… They looked mighty angry at Kirito… I better explain the situation to them or Kirito will do it.' Zoey thought nervously to herself.

"Kirito, do you have a minute?" Liz asked, a dark aura appeared around her.

Kirito gulped nervously and said with a meek tone "E-Everyone is here…"

"Hi everyone! You're Kirito and Zoey-chan's guild members, right?" Strea waved cheerfully.

Leafa turned to Kirito with concern written all over her face. "Kirito… Who's she?"

"Um… This is Strea. Me and Zoey met her several times around town and we became friends." Kirito smiled nervously as a sweat drop appeared on his head. Silica confronted Strea with an angry frown.

"Hey you! What is your relationship with Kirito?!" She angrily shouted.

Strea giggled cheerfully and replied with "Me, Zoey-chan and Kirito are good friends!" Silica was pretty miffed.

"A-A very good relationship so you can sit on his lap?!" Silica gritted her teeth, a bit upset.

"Well, the shop was getting crowed, so Kirito suggested we give up a seat and that's how it is." Zoey sighed as she shook her head.

Asuna closed her eyes and smiled by calmly saying "I see… Thank you for the explanation, Zoey."

"As-Asuna?" Kirito gulped nervously, he's gonna get it now…

"Can you come to my room later, Kirito?" Asuna asked, still smiling that creepy smile.

"S-Sure…" Kirito nodded slowly, knowing full well that he's going to feel Asuna's wrath.

"Oh! Can I come too?" Strea clapped her hands in excitement. "Kirito is Asuna's husband, right? And also… Can I join the Mountain Lions?"

Asuna no longer smiling was filled with surprise. "S-So sudden… and we gain another guild member in our guild…" She stuttered.

"I have an idea." Strea smiled pervertedly. "Let's all go to Kirito's room and have a big sleepover!" The girls except for Sinon blushed madly.

"Uh… I wouldn't mind…" Liz pressed her fingers nervously.

"W-What is this all about…?" Silica's face was beet red with embarrassment.

"That reminds me." Strea continued. "I haven't been to Kirito's room before. I want to take a look at Kirito and Asuna's room!"

The girls and Kirito remained silent when Strea said that.

"You're in a pretty bad situation…" Sinon said out of sympathy for Kirito's dilemma.

"…So you're coming to my room?" Asuna asked slowly as she was beet red as well. Strea giggled playfully again.

"Oh, but I won't come today. I had lots of fun today! I'll go tomorrow! For now, I'll sleep in Zoey-chan's room." She told them with a playful nature before adding "Plus, I became friends with everyone! So I'll be sleeping in Zoey-chan's room and be her roommate."

"Um… Okay…" Asuna nodded, sweat dropping.

"Okay! Good night, everyone." Stea waved cheerfully as she walked upstairs to Zoey's room.

Asuna was filled with disbelief and she muttered "…S-She's like a storm…"

"What is this all about?" Leafa asked, clearly confused as well. Kagome giggled playfully.

"It seems our guild leader has an admirer." She teased.

"A-Asuna is my wife, so I wouldn't cheat on her…" Kirito made a bored look on his face.

"W-What should I do? I got an odd friend in my room and she's our newest guild member…" Zoey whimpered as she looked down with shame.

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Next chapter: Mountain Lions and Infinite Stratos Guild in the Hollow Area**

**Notes regarding Strea and the IS characters: In my SAO story, ISes never existed in the SAO universe where Mew Mew Power also took place in and Ichika and his female friends (Five of them, not counting the two new ones seen in the second season of IS) attend an academy called Iwata Sakura Academy which the names are based on famous game developers and famous singers. So like Kirito and his guild, they are among the 30,000 players (I increased the limit of trapped players in this story of mine) trapped within SAO. So I will make a Ichika x Houki pairing while the rest of the IS girls become interested in Kirito after he saves them from certain dangers and sinister Player Killers. And for Strea, I made her a bit of a pervert (Meaning, she is lustful a bit for Kirito and is madly in love with him). Strea is my favorite character in the game, so I wanted to have her side being a comical one. Alright, next chapter will have the IS characters exploring the Hollow Area with the Mountain Lions, so stay tuned for this future chapter.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hopefully, this chapter would be 4,000 words long or not. Enjoy this latest chapter because it is mostly filler.**

**Chapter 7: Mountain Lions and Infinite Stratos Guild in the Hollow Area: Part 1: Preparations and Meetings**

* * *

**(The next morning)**

* * *

Zoey was sleeping peacefully in her room, today is the day the Mountain Lions explore the Hollow Area as a guild. Hopefully, Phillia would be there this time so she and Kirito can introduce her to their friends and guild members. As Zoey turned in her bed and began to slowly open her eyes, her vision was blurry, but as it regain focus, she can see Strea smiling at her while wearing her night clothes.

Strea playfully said "Good morning, sleepyhead."

"AHHH!" Zoey yelped as she fell out of the bed, after recovering, she got up and looked at Strea oddly. "I know you're my new roommate, but what you're doing is making us feel like a girl x girl pairing." She scolded the mysterious player.

"Huh?" Strea stood up from her position and looked at Zoey with a curious nature. "Are we lovers already, Zoey-chan?"

"N-No! That's not the point! …You know what, forget it." Zoey sighed as she went to the bathroom, but not before telling Strea "Get dressed as soon as I'm finished in the bathroom. You're our newest recruit in the Mountain Lions and we need to show you the Hollow Area."

"Hollow Area… I think I heard of that place before…" Strea placed her pinky on her chin and began to ponder on why she knows such a place like the Hollow Area.

Zoey looked at her new friend oddly and whispered "What an oddball… I hope she's good at fighting as she claims to be." She went into her bathroom and began to get ready for the new day ahead.

When Zoey was finished, Strea went into the bathroom and after a few minutes, the mysterious new member of the Mountain Lions is ready as well. Zoey then got a message. Curious, she opened her menu and selected the Friends menu and saw that Liz's name has an envelope with the yellow words New on it. She opened it and the message's subject was "Liz's Blacksmith Shop V2 is open!" It read:

**"Zoey, I have opened up my second Blacksmith shop in the Shopping District in Arc Sophia. I want you and Kirito and the others to come check it out. We'll meet up at my shop before getting some supplies for our trek through the Hollow Area."**

'That's good. Liz has opened up her second blacksmith shop after the access points to the lower Floors were blocked due to that glitch.' Zoey smiled slightly. "Hey Strea, wanna check out Liz's Blacksmith… Shop…?" Zoey turned to see Strea has disappeared. "W-Where did she go?" She blinked in surprise.

* * *

**(With Strea)**

* * *

"La, la, la, la, la." Strea was skipping through the streets of Arc Sophia without a care in the virtual world, singing happily. She then noticed the Baseballers discussing the latest items and monsters.

"So, this Floor has tougher monsters, but we need to let the Boss of this Floor be handled by the Assault Team." Kirie explained her info to Miharu, Tomoka and Koyomi.

"That sucks! We can't just sit by and let them do all the work! We need to get stronger so we can beat the game!" Tomoka punched the air in frustration.

"B-But the monsters here in this Floor give out low EXP. There's no way we'll reach levels faster…" Koyomi stammered.

"Hello!" They heard Strea's cheerful voice as the Baseballers turned to see Strea looking at them with a cute smile.

"W-Who are you? I never seen you before in this Floor." Yukinari stuttered as Strea walked up to him causally.

"You're Yukinari, right?" Strea asked politely.

"Huh? You know Yukinari-san?" Miharu has a question mark above her head as she looked at Strea oddly. Kirie checked Strea's status and saw she is with the Mountain Lions.

"Hey, you're with Kirito and Zoey's guild, aren't you? Are you a friend of theirs?" Kirie questioned, something tells her she shouldn't trust this Strea character.

"Yup, yup!" Strea closed her eyes and smiled. "Kirito, Zoey-chan and I are very close. I have known Kirito from the very beginning."

"A-Are you stalking him?" Koyomi stammered as she nearly fell on her butt.

"No, why would I do that?" Strea smirked with confidence as she placed one hand on her hip. "I just said I have known Kirito from the beginning. Plus, I known about you guys. Yukinari is the one who is allergic to girls, Kirie has a temper problem and Miharu, Koyomi and Tomoka aren't from Earth." The Baseballers except for Miharu who is clearly confused looked at her with wide eyes.

"H-How do you know my girl allergies?" Yukinari has the white dotted eye look when Strea knows such a thing.

"A-And I do not have an anger problem!" Kirie said through gritted teeth.

"Oops, if you wanna know how I know these things, hang out with me and my guild." Strea turned around and waved back at them. "See ya!" She then skipped happily again.

"W-Who the hell is that girl?" Tomoka stuttered.

"I don't know… But something feels… off about this Strea character." Kirie muttered in disbelief. "Maybe Kirito and Zoey know who Strea is."

Strea was still skipping cheerfully through town until Zoey ran up to her and that made Strea stopped.

"Strea! There you are! Don't disappear like that!" Zoey scolded her. "I was worried you left the town and ran into some trouble."

"Awww, I didn't mean to worry you, Zoey-chan." Strea made a slight pouty face before resuming her cheerful expression. "I won't go off on my own again, I promise."

"Well, the more important thing you are safe." Zoey said with a relieved smile. "Come on, let's find our guild members."

* * *

**(With Kirito)**

* * *

Kirito was walking down the alleyways of the Central Plaza, gazing at the clouds. He was in thought about how Strea appeared and how she has a superior hiding skill and how she knew about his triumph over either the Skull Reaper or Kayaba. Still, who is she?

Suddenly, he bumped into someone, making both of them recoil and fell to the ground. "Are you alright?" Kirito asked in concern as he sees the person he bumped into.

It was possibly a man with blond hair, but why is his hair have long shoulder length hair tied in a pink ribbon? He wore a white tunic with silver shoulder plates, blue chain gloves, brown pants and white shoes and he has a hammer on his back.

"I'm sorry for bumping into you.' Kirito apologized as he bowed his head lightly.

"I-It's no problem." The man sounded like a girl which clearly confused Kirito as both he and the man stood up and looked at one another. "Wait… You're Kirito, the Black Swordsman. The one who defeated the creator of SAO, this death game which kept us imprisoned for two years?" 'He' gasped in awe.

"Er… Yes, I'm the one who defeated that bastard, but somehow we're still trapped in this game." Kirito rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"It's nice to meet you, Mister Kirito-kun!" 'He' held Kirito's hands with excitement. "My name is Charlotte Dunois, but call me Char. You're a celebrity in this Floor for defeating the mad man behind this awful game." Charlotte smiled brightly.

"Uh… Right." Kirito chuckled nervously as he sweat dropped. "So you're one of the 30,000 players trapped in this game, huh?"

"Y-Yes…" Charlotte looked down. "Me and my friends from the Iwata Sakura Academy, six of us, tried this game because of the hype it has, but we didn't know we would end up trapped here and die in real life if we died in this game."

"Hey, it happens. So Char, what are you doing here?" Kirito reassured 'him' with a smile.

"I…I was wondering if you can hang out with me at this café." Charlotte offered shyly. Kirito has a growing suspicion that Charlotte is not a guy.

"Okay. Let's have some coffee then." Kirito smiled.

"Sugoi! I knew you were a gentleman like the players say you are!" Charlotte exclaimed happily as 'his' mouth showed a heart on the tongue.

* * *

**(A few seconds later…)**

* * *

Kirito and Charlotte were drinking coffee. "This coffee is good, even in the virtual world." Charlotte giggled as 'he' drank 'his' coffee.

"Char…" Kirito began, Charlotte looked up to see Kirito's detective expression. "By your name and actions, you… aren't really a guy. I also noticed that your hair looks long and is tied in a ribbon. So why are you posing as a guy? You must be a girl who has her reasons."

Charlotte yelped and looked away rather shyly. Kirito was quick to discover her true gender. "So you figured me out, huh? I don't blame you though since everyone says you have a sharp eye."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Kirito told her gently.

"Ahhh!" Charlotte gasped as she looked away timidly. 'Kirito… is kinda like Ichika sempai! Ooooh… What should I do? He's cute and he is like a perfect gentleman like everyone say he is. Get it together, Charlotte! You must tell him why you're posing as a guy!'

"Is something wrong, Char?" Kirito asked with a raised eyebrow.

"O-Okay, I'll tell you." Charlotte sighed before turning to Kirito with a small smile. "The reason I was posing as a guy is because when me and my friends got trapped in this game, I heard there are perverted players from an school in the mountain side of Shibuya and Ichika-san suggested I try to act like a dude to avoid those players and the PKers who target innocent players for their amusment."

"Hmm… This Ichika person must be a wise and clever person who is not one of those sickos like Fukuyama." Kirito closed his eyes and smiled. "If you want, you and your guild can come with us to the Hollow Area."

"Hollow Area?" Charlotte repeated while blinking. "What's that?"

"I'm… not really sure. Me and my friend who is the founder and first sub-leader of our guild entered that place without warning. It is where powerful monsters and equipment resided in." Kirito did his best to explain the Hollow Area to Charlotte.

"I see. So if me and my guild go there with your guild, we'll get tougher to challenge the Floor Bosses?" Charlotte's mood started to brighten.

"Yeah, but you have to be careful in there. You can still die in the game and in real life in the Hollow Area." Kirito nodded.

"Then, in that case, I'll ask my guild to go with you. With the famous Black Swordsman by our side, we won't worry about getting killed in the game. My guild's name is Infinite Stratos." Charlotte closed her eyes and smiled.

"Okay, Let's meet at the Teleport Gate Area around 10:00 AM." Kirito smiled. "I got to go meet up with my blacksmith on the opening of her new shop." Kirito stood up from his seat and began to head to the Shopping District.

"Okay! Thank you, Kirito-kun!" Charlotte smiled as she blushed a shade of red. 'There's no doubt about it… He's like Ichika…'

* * *

**(7:50 AM, Liz's Blacksmith Shop 2…)**

* * *

"Wow, Liz!" Zoey gasped as she sees Liz's new shop which is different from the previous one. "This new shop of yours is a vast improvement than your old one!"

"Hehehe." Liz closed her eyes and grinned. "Thanks, Zoey. My customers including my top customer will come here often asking for weapon creations and refining equipment, but I got to regain my blacksmithing skills first."

"Yeah, I will be counting on you as the Blacksmith of our guild to make our equipment stronger, Liz." Kirito smiled as he placed his hands on his hips.

"Hey!" A voice called out. Confused, Kirito, Zoey and Liz turned to see an 20 year old girl with bright blond hair with a blue scruffy ribbon on the top, she wore a red chestplate that exposed her cleavage a bit, red sleeveless gaunlets with gold rind attachments on the top, red steel leggings with arrows painted on them and black shoes. On her back is a spear with a gold pointy tip and brown handle. And by the looks of it, she was glaring at Kirito.

"May we help you?" Liz asked nervously.

"You're the Black Swordsman, Kirito, right? The one who defeated Akihito Kayaba?" The girl pointed her finger at Kirito.

"Yes, why did you ask?" Kirito asked, suspiciously.

"People say you defeated the madman who trapped us in this horrible death game for two years. I say it was pure luck you were able to beat the creator of SAO." The girl closed her eyes and huffed.

"Hey, Kirito didn't defeated Kayaba by luck. He defeated him on his own!" Liz scolded this girl.

"I don't believe it. Kirito's victory over that despicable person was a fluke. So I'm challenging Kirito to a duel in this safe zone, right here." The girl got out her spear and pointed it at Kirito. "My name is Cecilia Alcott of the Iwata Sakura Academy! And I won't lose to a guy who did a fluke on the villain who trapped us in this game!"

"Of the Alcott Family Estate of Europe?" Liz blinked. 'I heard they perished in a plane crash five years ago. This girl is related to them?'

"H-Hey! Kirito defeated Kayaba by himself, not luck!" Zoey stuttered, but Kirito held his hand in front of her with a serious glance.

"Zoey, Liz, if this girl wants proof that I defeated Kayaba by myself, I will accept her duel. Stay back so you won't get hurt. Remember, we're in a safe zone so our HP is restored instantly after a duel." Kirito got out his swords and both combatants selected the duel option.

After the countdown reached zero, Cecilia started the duel off by dashing towards Kirito and jabbing her spear at him, giving him some minor damage and reducing his HP to 91 percent.

"Augh!" Kirito winced as he slashed Cecilia across the chest two times, her HP was 92 percent. "You're no rookie in dueling. What level are you?" He asked.

"Hmph!" Cecilia smirked as she began to tell him. "If you want to know, my level is 101, one level higher than you. Twin Thrust!" Cecilia jabbed her spear at Kirito two times, but the Black Swordsman dodged the two jabs.

Kirito then shouted "End Revolver!" He slashed Cecilia two times with his swords. Cecilia's HP was 78 percent.

"H-How dare you!" Cecilia growled as she shouted "Helical Thrust!" It was the same as the Twin Thrust, but slightly more powerful, but Kirito dodged stepped out of the way. "N-No way! He dodged my Sword Skill?!"

"Countless Spike!" Kirito shouted as he slashed Cecilia four times with his dual swords, reducing her HP to 66 percent.

"I-I won't lose to a guy who did a fluke!" Cecilia yelled angrily as she jabbed Kirito five times with her spear, reducing his HP to 72 percent.

"Come on, Kirito! Show her what you're made of!" Strea cheered behind Zoey and Liz, surprising them.

"Y-You came out of nowhere!" Liz said through gritted teeth in fear.

"Oh, did I?" Strea asked innocently.

Kirito used End Revolver on Cecilia again, followed by a Countless Spike, which reduced the girl's HP to 25 percent. Her HP bar was yellow.

'H-How can this be…? Maybe... Kirito did defeated Kayaba not by luck, but by skill?' Cecilia thought frantically to herself, while she was distracted, Kirito took this as a chance to use Locus Hexedra, a powerful 7 slash it attack which reduced Cecilia's HP to 5 percent. The words **Duel Over: Winner, Kirito **appeared and Cecilia's HP was instantly restored after she fell on her butt after such an attack.

"I lost…" Cecilia muttered in disbelief, but Kirito offered his hand to help her up. "W-What are you doing?" She was blushing madly.

"I showed you proof that I defeated Kayaba with skill, not luck. Even if you're one level higher than me, my skills are almost like yours. But you need to focus on what you truly believed in." Kirito smiled. "And I will be the one who will set us free by reaching the 100th floor. I have friends who are my guild members and we need to work together with the other guilds and Assault Team to get home alive."

"Y-You're right. I'm sorry for doubting you." Cecilia looked away, rather flustered. 'S-Strange… He's like Ichika-san, nice and caring. Wait, why am I falling for him already?!" She shakly took Kirito's hand and he helped her up.

"Anyway, what guild are you from?" Liz asked, placing her hand on her hip.

"My guild's name is Infinite Stratos." Cecilia answered.

'The same guild as Char…' Kirito thought to himself. "Say, Cecilia? Wanna come with us to the Hollow Area? It's an area me and our guild's founder discovered. There are powerful equipment in that area." He offered.

"Hmm… This Hollow Area may be good for my skills. Then I humbly accept your invitation. I'll inform my guild to meet you at the Teleport Gate." Cecilia smiled, with a small wave, she walked off.

"Kirito, she may be a snob, but at least she was honest." Zoey closed her eyes and smiled. 'She reminds me of Corina.'

"Alright. We gather some supplies and meet up with Infinite Stratos at the Teleport Gate." Kirito issued.

"Roger!" Zoey, Liz and Strea nodded in agreement.

* * *

Kirito was heading towards the item shop to buy some potions and Teleport Crystals for the trip to the Hollow Area. Just then, he sees a 15 year-old girl with brown hair with pigtails tied by two yellow ribbons, she wore what Klein wore, but only green with a red polka dotted skirt and black high heeled socks along with brown sandals. Her weapon of choice is a mace which is a green spiked mace with a red grip and a star keychain at the bottom. She was surveying the items the item shop has for sale.

Wanting to help her out, Kirito walked over to the girl and asked "Need help buying some items, miss?"

"Yeah." The girl turned to face Kirito and was silent for a moment until she realized who she's talking to." K-Kazuto-kun!" She gasped in shock.

"You know my real world name? Wait… you look familiar…" Kirito stopped to think on who this girl is and how she knows his real world name.

* * *

**(6 years ago…)**

The same brown haired girl who is about 9 years old was crying as two bullying boys pelted her with rocks. It was then, a 10 year Kirito who wore blue kid clothes ran up and beat up the bullies, the two bullying boys ran off crying for their mommies.

Kirito walked up to the girl and helped her up. "Are you okay? My name is Kazuto. What's yours?" Young Kazuto asked with a kind smile.

"H-Hung Lingyin. But call me Ling." She sniffled before hugging Kazuto.

Kazuto and Ling were seen sitting on a hill overlooking the city of Shibuya. Kazuto turned to Ling and asked in concern "Why were those bullies throwing rocks at you?"

"They were just doing that to look cool. But the moment you came to my rescue, I bet they learned their lesson and will never do it again." Ling smiled softly. She turned to Kirito with a kind smile. "Say, Kazuto? Wanna go play with me? I'll be moving to a new home in Tokyo tomorrow morning."

"Sure. And I have an idea. I will protect you someday when we meet again. If you're in danger, I'll be there to help you." Kazuto closed his eyes and smiled.

**(End Flashback)**

* * *

"Kazuto, it really is you!" Ling gasped happily as she began pulling Kirito's face.

"L-Ling?! I can't believe it's you!" Kirito smiled softly as Ling hugged him.

"I can't believe we have meet again in this horrible death game!" Ling cried with tears of joy. She took a good look at Kirito and commented softly "You gotten stronger since the last time we met as kids."

"I haven't gotten stronger, but I'm getting that, Ling-san." Kirito smiled softly. "But… what are you doing in this hellish video game? Don't tell me you bought SAO and the NerveGear as well."

"Me and my friends at the Iwata Sakura Academy thought it would be fun before that jerk Kayaba trapped us here for two years and have killed many players in the real world with this online contraption. I heard rumors of a black haired clothed swordsman that has engaged the creator of Sword Art Online in battle and defeated him. I never knew it would be my Kazuto." Ling smiled softly.

"It's been a long time since we last saw each other." Kirito smiled softly. "Are you doing well? Did anymore bullies picked on you over the years?"

"Nah, I toughen up and I met Ichika, our guild leader of Infinite Stratos to protect me in both the Real World and SAO. You should meet him, he's a lot like you." Ling closed her eyes and smiled softly, but in her mind 'I still have feelings for you, Kazuto-kun.'

"So you're from the same guild as Char and Cecilia, right?" Kirito smiled as he placed his hand on his hip.

"You already met them?" Ling blinked in surprise. "They're from the same school as me and my friends and unfortunately, trapped here along with me and my friends."

"Well, Char was posing as a guy to avoid some mountainside school male perverts and Cecilia was skeptical about my victory on Kayaba." Kirito explained.

"Oh, that Cecilia! Always doubting some famous people's accomplishments!" Ling growled, an anger vein on her forehead as she clenched her hand tightly.

"I-I see." Kirito chuckled nervously before changing the subject. "Say, want to come to the Hollow Area with my guild?"

"Hollow… Area?" Ling asked, clearly confused on what he meant.

"I'll explain on the way. Right now, I need to gather some supplies for the trip to the Hollow Area. Want to join me?" He offered.

"Sure!" Ling closed her eyes and smiled.

* * *

**(8:10 AM, Teleport Gate Area)**

* * *

"They should be here right now…" Kirito muttered as he, Ling, Zoey, Liz and Strea were waiting for their guilds to show up for the Hollow Area adventure. Kirito already introduced Ling to his guild members and the latter are getting acquainted with each other and learning that Ling is a childhood friend of Kirito.

"Halt…" A cold German English voice said stoically. All eyes turned to see a 13 year old girl with silver shoulder-length hair, has a black eyepatch and she wore a black tubetop bra, black long pants with runic symbols on them, white steel slippers, red shoulder length gloves and sheathed on her hip is a katana. Ling immediately recognized her.

"Oi! Laura! You here to join us?" Ling waved cheerfully.

"No…" Laura unsheathed her katana and pointed it at Kirito. "I want to challenge the Black Swordsman, Kirito."

"First Cecilia, now this girl?" Liz muttered in disbelief.

"Why do you want to challenge me? Don't tell me you don't believe my victory over Kayaba?" Kirito frowned.

"Wrong. I want to test your skills." Laura said menacely. "I want to see if you're great as everyone says you are. Victory over a goddamn murderer who is the creator of our virtual prison doesn't count. Now fight me!"

"Wait, Laura-chan!" A male's voice called out. All eyes turned to a 17 year old man with black short hair, wearing orange armor and has a blue sword sheathed on his back, along with a 16 year old girl with black shoulder length hair tied by a red and white ribbon, wearing what the To Heart 2 Dungeon Crawlers version of Tamaki Kosuka's Samurai Class wore, only with a brown coloring and like Laura, she has a katana. There is also Charlotte and Cecilia running up to the group.

"Ichika-san…" Laura muttered as she looked away blushing.

Ichika placed his hands on his hips and glared at Laura. "Is that anyway to greet someone by challenging them to a duel? You're lucky you didn't challenge him outside the safe zone. If you did, you would be labeled an Orange Player by the game. Isn't that right, Houki?"

"Right. I don't know why you want to challenge Kirito, but save it for later. He's being polite in showing us this Hollow Area." Houki nodded with a frown.

"Okay…" Laura then glared at Kirito and shouted out to him "After this adventure, Kirito, Central Plaza, be there!"

'Geez… she has a cold attitude…' Kirito closed his eyes and smiled nervously

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Next chapter: Mountain Lions and Infinite Stratos Guild in the Hollow Area: Part 2: Getting to Know Phillia**

**A/N: Hopefully, this is my longest chapter yet. Also, do you like me adding that Kirito and Ling of IS are childhood friends in this story? Please tell me what you think and leave some reviews. Part 2 will come soon.**


End file.
